Jesuit Social Services Warns Against Victorian Opposition Plan to Expand Youth Detention Laws

Melbourne - Jesuit Social Services has issued a rebuke of the Victorian Opposition’s proposal to expand mandatory sentencing for minors, warning that a "race to the bottom" on law and order will fail to reduce youth offending.

The social services organisation on Wednesday characterised the plan to double the number of offenses covered under adult time for violent crime laws as a regressive step that ignores decades of evidence regarding recidivism and community safety.

"Endlessly locking up children is a shortsighted, cruel and unsustainable way to go about community safety," Julie Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of Jesuit Social Services said.

The opposition’s policy, slated for implementation should it win the state election in November, seeks to apply adult sentencing standards to a broader range of crimes committed by young offenders.

Advocates however argue that the carceral approach does not function as a deterrent and often exacerbates the behaviours it seeks to punish.

"We know from our nearly 50 years of experience working with the young people who are at the centre of this, that jail is proven not to work as a deterrent to reoffending, it does nothing to avoid the initial crime and only makes children more likely to commit further crimes in the future," Edwards said.

The critique comes amid a heightened political debate over youth justice in Victoria.

Data cited by the organisation highlights a high correlation between childhood trauma and subsequent incarceration.

Edwards says more than 60 percent of children currently in detention are victims of abuse, neglect or trauma, while approximately half have had prior contact with the child protection system.

"This raises the critical question, what are we doing to address this and other underlying drivers of offending, instead of relying solely on costly and ineffective punitive responses?" Edwards asked.

She noted a significant disparity in funding, pointing to the A$727 million allocated in last year’s State Budget for prison expansion compared to a perceived lack of equivalent investment in prevention and restorative programs.

The organisation expressed particular alarm that the current political climate could lead to children as young as 14 being sentenced to life in prison.

Jesuit Social Services urged both the government and the opposition to pivot toward early intervention and restorative justice rather than relying on a detention system they claim increases the likelihood of future harm.

"Community safety and the fundamental rights of children are at risk of being written off as collateral damage to political point scoring, and we all deserve better than that from our representatives in Parliament," Edwards said.

In its 2026-27 Victorian Pre-Budget Submission, the group has formally recommended shifting resources toward keeping young people engaged with education and family structures, which they argue provides a more sustainable path toward reducing the number of victims in the community.