✓ The Guardian AustraliaPower & Policy

Queensland mandates 12-month jail for children breaching bail

Queensland introduced a law requiring mandatory 12-month jail with no parole. It applies to people, including some children as young as 10, convicted of serious crimes while on bail or failing to appear in court.

Why it mattersMandatory jail removes judges' power to decide cases fairly. Children can face long prison terms for first-time bail breaches, even if later found not guilty of the original crime.

AustraliaQueensland's detention centres are already overcrowded. This law will worsen that and could see children as young as 10 locked up for a year for missing a court date, even if later acquitted of the initial charge.

✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago