The ABC reports – Criminologists debunk claims of ‘youth crime crisis’ as data shows dramatic declines – that most youth crime rates have fallen significantly in every state across Australia.
Criminologists say that politicians’ claims that we are in the grip of a youth crime crisis are not supported by evidence. It is those politicians who have claimed – as others have over the last decades – that “tougher sentences” 
for youth offenders will make the community safer.
In fact, Queensland media has been
“lamenting crime waves for nearly 200 years”.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that the youth crime rate has halved over the last 14 years.
“In 2022, Queensland youth crime hit the lowest rates in recorded history and has remained roughly steady ever since”.
Putting aside the private self-interested media – or “mastheads”
as they call themselves – how is it that elected politicians – both Labor and the LNP – could conceivably claim that Queensland’s youth crime rate has increased and that harsher penalties would decrease it.
Yet a politician’s media person has claimed that her party’s youth crime policy was evidence-based, etc etc.
University of Queensland criminologist Renee Zahnow said there was “absolutely unanimous” academic consensus that both of these claims were false.
“There’s no data to suggest that the rates of youth crime are spiralling out of control in Queensland or indeed anywhere in Australia,” she said.
As over the last decades, the false claims are fuelled by
“sensationalist news outlets, social media platforms, and political opportunism”.
Notable exceptions include rape, domestic violence, and assault which have all seen significant increases but these are most likely due to increased awareness, reporting, and enforcement.
A politician called David Crisafulli wants nice “reset camps” for young offenders and to repeal “detention as a last resort” protections in Queensland law.
Other politicians’ thought bubbles include toughened youth bail laws, more youth detention centres, AND, necessarily, more metal detectors 
Youth crime is in fact driven by factors such as foetal alcohol syndrome, neurodevelopmental disability, sexual or physical violence, poverty, and low education.
And judges are not becoming more lenient over time.
Conclusion
It’s all an Australian disgrace.
See also:
- ‘The Vanishing Criminal – Causes of Decline in Australia’s Crime Rate’ – a book review – Murrays Legal
- the honest politicians guide to crime control – Google Search
