Queensland Government
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
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History of the Juvenile Justice Act

The Juvenile Justice Act 1992 commenced operation on 1 September 1993 and has since been reviewed three times, with public comments and feedback used to improve the youth justice system.

Following the release of a consultation report, significant amendments were made in 1996, including amendments that:

  • introduced ways to divert young people from the criminal justice system (such as youth justice conferencing)
  • changed juvenile justice principles to ensure that the protection of the community and the interests of victims are considered.

Between 1999 and 2001, public consultation was again undertaken, leading to amendments in 2002. These amendments updated conferencing provisions and implemented recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions (the Forde Inquiry).

Further public consultation was undertaken during 2007 resulting in the Juvenile Justice and Other Acts Amendment Act 2009 which came into effect on 29 March 2010. The amendments set out in this Act:

  • specify the courts' powers to place curfews on juvenile offenders to reduce the chances of them re-offending and to ensure they are properly supervised
  • widen court powers in relation to naming juvenile offenders, allowing orders to be issued, allowing publication of identifying information if the court considers it to be in the interests of justice to do so
  • increase the minimum mandatory detention period for young people convicted of multiple murders from 15 years to 20 years imprisonment
  • give police stronger powers to arrest and take to court young people who:
    • do not comply with conferencing requirements
    • contravene an agreement
    • fail to attend a drug assessment session
  • require courts to consider setting a date for the transfer of offenders from youth detention to adult prison when sentencing young offenders to be detained beyond the age of 18
  • automatically prohibit the publication of information which identified a child victim
  • contribute to reducing remand levels by:
    • requiring courts to consider the likely sentence when making bail decisions
    • clarifying that, if a young person is remanded in detention because of a threat of harm to their safety, the threat must arise from the circumstances of the alleged offence (such as threat of retribution from a victim or a co-accused)
  • update the name of the Juvenile Justice Act 1992 to the Youth Justice Act 1992 (PDF) and
  • make minor amendments to improve the workability of the relevant Acts.