Child offenders in Victoria have reported being punched, choked, and threatened by police, according to a report by the Commission for Children and Young People tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, July 30th, 2026. The report focused on offenders aged between 10 and 14 years old and found that most children supervised by Youth Justice over the past three years re-offended as they grew older.
Several children alleged physical and verbal assaults by police while in custody. One teenage boy claimed an officer slammed him against a brick wall and choked him, while another reported an officer holding a gun to his head at age 13. Many young people said these experiences increased their violent behavior and reduced their willingness to seek help or re-engage with schools and communities.
The report stated, "A wealth of literature and expert opinion indicates that early contact with the criminal justice system does not reduce subsequent offending, but rather escalates offending, and can be associated with poorer long-term outcomes for children and young people."
Referring to the criminal and developmental histories of 26 young people who first encountered the law before age 14, the report noted that the most common form of contact with the criminal system was placement on a supervised bail order.
Victoria Police, in its submission to the report, said children who were cautioned instead of charged were less likely to re-offend. They suggested implementing a support services-driven incident response system for children under 14 to minimize police contact.
Ms. Beaton, Victoria's commissioner for children and young people, emphasized the developmental importance of ages 10 to 14, stating, "It's actually a really important time developmentally where there is quite a lot of hope that you can shift offending behaviours and actually help kids and reduce recidivism."
She also expressed optimism about the new premier Mr. Carroll's leadership, saying, "It's absolutely an opportunity to do something different."
Now 26 years old, Mr. Akue said he is uniquely placed to understand young offenders and the challenges they face.
The report calls for the Victorian government to overhaul its current approach to youth crime, advocating for preventative measures rather than a hardline response to the state's rising crime rate.
Notable Quotes
- "Children don't necessarily consider the consequences when they act. We also know that a lot of children are getting groomed into criminal activity."
- "It is important to understand development and not hold children to account in the way that we would expect to hold adults to account."
- "What we want with this inquiry is for community and government to look at the evidence and actually implement programs that we know will improve community safety and also reduce recidivism and create a much better opportunity for these kids."
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