The Youth Justice And Other Legislation Act 2014 - 1396 Words

In 2014, the Government initiated the Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014. This act introduced new changes that were made to provide fair outcomes and reasonable punishments. This assignment will focus on four of the changes made to the act and evaluate how the introduction of the Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014 has impacted on consequences for youth in the youth justice system. Recommendations for changes the government could make will also be stated. Part 4 Division 2 of the Children’s Court Act 2000 states that the Childrens Court will now be an open court for repeat offenders (Department of Justice and Attorney General, 2014). The Court has the option to hold a proceeding, whether it is an†¦show more content†¦(Queensland Law Society 2014). This quote shows that, even after going to court once, children will repeat offences and opening the Childrens Court will not help the rehabilitation of these repeat offenders. However, the public is let in to see the cases and will learn about the court processes, providing a better understanding, and if the case is of a sexual nature, the victim will feel much more comfortable with the court being closed, and will be able to easily tell the complete truth. The Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014 gives the media the authorisation to publish identifying information of a repeat offender at any stage during a court proceeding. (Department of Justice and Attorney General, 2014). A first time offender is anyone who has not been found guilty, at any time throughout a proceeding. First time offenders being named publicly remains prohibited by section 301. (Department of Justice and Attorney General, 2014). However, Ian Brown, President of The Queensland Law Society, states that he strongly believes that publicly naming a child coming before the courts should be prohibited. He believes letting the media broadcast classified information of repeat offenders could become a major difficulty in terms of getting the repeat offender back on the right track. (Department of Justice and Attorney General, 2014). The publishing of a repeat offender’s name during a proceeding could