<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Victoria is following in the footsteps of its northern neighbour Queensland by formally </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/victoria-adult-time-for-adult-crime-justice-reforms/1952c4c6-8591-40db-a364-0eec5ff1831c" rel="" target="_blank" title="introducing tougher sentences for youth criminals"><span>introducing tougher sentences for youth criminals</span></a><span> in an 11th hour bid to combat the state's crime crisis.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Jacinta Allan government announced that "adult time for violent crime" will be the catch-all tagline for how Victorian courts could soon sentence children aged 14 and above who commit violent crimes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The state government will introduce this controversial bill in parliament today, a key justice reform which aims to significantly increase the likelihood a youth criminal will be sentenced to time in prison.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/zone-rv-caravan-company-enters-administration/5df3f233-9c01-46db-af56-b7dd0f29d42b" target="_blank"><strong><span>Hundreds of jobs on the line as caravan maker collapses</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the Victorian courts, 97 per cent of adults sentenced for aggravated home invasion or aggravated carjackings go to jail.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, 34 per cent of children and young people sentenced for the same crimes are given prison time.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The state government wants jail time – even to life in prison in some cases – to be the mandatory consequence for these types of violent crime committed by child offenders.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/adult-time-violent-crime-victoria-laws-how-will-it-work-everything-to-know-explained/42699856-e96d-4d00-a622-46442e7390c7" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Currently, the maximum sentence in a children's court for aggravated home invasion or a single offence for children aged between 14 and in 17 is three years in prison.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In an adult court, it is 25 years in jail.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Adult time for violent crime would mean these offences can carry a life sentence for anybody aged 14 and above.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The bill, if passed in parliament, would require some significant amendments to the Crimes Act, the Children, Youth and Families Act and the Youth Justice Act.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The government said it wants to push the law through parliament to ensure the courts can enforce it from 2026.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-willing-to-release-mri-results-but-no-idea-which-part-of-body-it-examined/480a3a41-765b-47bc-87e6-7937ab789537" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump gives green light to release MRI results</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>So, why is this happening now?</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Politicians have been battling it out over the state's escalating crime crisis for some time.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley even labelled Melbourne as the country's "crime capital" earlier this year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/victoria-crime-statistics-incidents-of-crime-surge-by-fifteen-per-cent/3f5ed300-3ed9-4b22-bb33-d111b7588af9" rel="" target="_blank" title="Sobering police statistics"><span>Sobering police statistics</span></a><span> released in September pointed to a growing youth crime issue.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Young offenders were "overrepresented" in serious and violent crimes including robberies and aggravated burglaries in the 12 months to June 2025.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Almost 50 per cent (47.7) of all aggravated burglaries were perpetrated by children (aged under 17), </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/victoria-crime-statistics-incidents-of-crime-surge-by-fifteen-per-cent/3f5ed300-3ed9-4b22-bb33-d111b7588af9" rel="" target="" title="police said."><span>police said.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The government hopes the threat of going to jail will be incentive enough to stop young people breaking the law.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It wants to abolish the rule that jailing children is the "last resort" in the court system.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We want courts to treat these violent children like adults, so jail is more likely and sentences are longer," Premier Allan said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This will mean more violent youth offenders going to jail, facing serious consequences."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australias-happiest-workers-revealed-new-seek-survey/127606a2-1f40-4921-8cad-5cd317bd876b" target="_blank"><strong><span>Australia's happiest generation of workers revealed</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span> What are the crimes subject to adult jail sentences?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><span>Aggravated home invasion</span></li><li><span>Home invasion</span></li><li><span>Intentionally causing injury in circumstances of gross violence (includes machete crime)</span></li><li><span>Recklessly causing injury in circumstances of gross violence (includes machete crime)</span></li><li><span>Aggravated carjacking</span></li><li><span>Carjacking</span></li><li><span>Aggravated burglary (serious and repeated)</span></li><li><span>Armed robbery (serious and repeated)</span></li></ul></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Is this working in Queensland?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Adult time for violent crime is inspired by Queensland Premier David Crisafulli's similar "adult crime, adult time" law which was </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-passes-landmark-youth-crime-laws/44ae14f6-3a2d-4b80-b7f2-7d4943206e9d" rel="" target="_blank" title="passed in December last year."><span>passed in December last year.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was one of the pillars of the campaign that saw the LNP sweep into government following a crime crisis in the state.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A little less than 3000 youth criminals were charged under the landmark law in Queensland between December 2024 and October 2025.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Queensland government praised its own laws and said it had been making the state safer – pointing to a 10.8 per cent reduction in victims of crime between January and October this year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police data also found the number of victims of stolen cars dropped by 15.6 per cent, break-ins 21.2 per cent and robberies by 12.6 per cent over the first nine months of 2025.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These are promising early signs, but we are not taking our foot off the pedal," Crisafulli said of the statistics.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span></span><strong><span>Criticism over sending children to jail</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Youth experts and advocates have broadly criticised this approach to tackling crime.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Victorian Equal Opportunity &amp; Human Rights Commission said in a statement it was "highly concerned" that children aged between 14 and 17 could face life behind bars in the state.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We didn't get here overnight. Preventing children from committing crime is complex requiring long term action to address underlying problems of poverty, trauma and injustice," a spokesperson said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Children who commit crimes often have a disability, are the victims of crime themselves or have been in the child protection system."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One criminologist even </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-victoria-crime-jacinta-allan-bail-laws/bee17f8a-acbc-4566-804d-05df81fd2222" rel="" target="_blank" title="warned it could have the opposite effect."><span>warned it could have the opposite effect.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Once you process a young person through the system and you put them into custody, the likelihood of them re-engaging in criminal activity is absolutely significant," Associate Professor in Criminology and Justice studies at RMIT Marietta Martinovic said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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