Criminal Code (WA)

There is almost universal agreement that the age of criminal responsibility in Australia – set out in section 29 of the Criminal Code (WA) – is too low. How does the current age of criminal responsibility affect Indigenous children and what are the reasons for these impacts?

Your analysis must:

• Focus on the situation in Western Australia and the Northern Territory – these jurisdictions consistently record the highest rate of child imprisonment per population rate;
• Engage with relevant statistical data on child imprisonment, and specifically Indigenous children, in these jurisdictions
• Evaluate and interrogate both the impacts and the reasons for these impacts.

You should use the AGLC4 (4^th edition) as your style guide and should not include a bibliography.