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Please do the right thing and raise the age to 14
Dear Premier McGowan, It is really worrying that children as young as 10 are being locked up across the country. Children don’t belong in prison - they deserve better than this. Supporting a minimum age of criminal responsibility of at least 14 is now in WA Labor's platform after a vote of your members. It's now up to you to legislate this to make it happen. I am asking you to please support raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14. The McGowan Labor Government has an opportunity to lead the country in raising the age and giving these children the support they need to thrive: 1) The minimum age of criminal responsibility must be raised to 14. The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) determined in 2019 that the minimum age should be 14 and no younger. This allows for the fact that children under 14 lack the cognitive capacity to understand the consequences of their actions. These recommendations are based on the best available evidence from global health and child development experts. Put simply, children under 14 lack the emotional, social, and intellectual maturity to understand criminal responsibility. 2) This issue disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who when given the opportunity to engage in accountability through community-led initiatives, diversion programs, and alternatives to detention, are much less likely to reoffend. 3) The criminal justice system causes more harm than good for these kids, and throwing children in prison is a band-aid, not a solution. I hope to see the McGowan Labor Government lead the country on this important issue, please raise the age to 14.
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