Magistrate Peter Couzens has taken a strong sentencing stand.
MAGISTRATE Peter Couzens isn't going to let the debate about appropriate sentencing and processing of young people in our courts die, if his latest comments are any indication.
For the second time in the past three months, Mr Couzens has made strong comments about provisions for those appearing in court on serious charges who are being dealt with under the jurisdiction of the Children's Court.
Anyone who has read the charge sheet for the assailant in the matters heard yesterday will find it hard to argue that he could have been dealt with differently.
Three separate very serious assault matters from a person considered on the cusp of adulthood gives rise to a further investigation of Mr Couzens' points.
His view - that 17-year-olds facing serious charges should be dealt with by higher jurisdictions - in many cases will no doubt carry support in the general public, particularly in regard to instances of serious offending or constant re-offending. As this newspaper has stated before, identifying an appropriate age for offenders to face the Children's Court is not without its challenges.
Australia, almost universally, accepts that an adult is someone 18 or older. It's when greater vehicle licensing responsibilities are enacted. It's when you can legally consume alcohol.
But age does not determine maturity and it does not influence the severitWhat must be considered is the frustration of those within the legal system at the seeming lack of fy of offending in many cases.
Well aware of the high priority the public places on strengthening sentencing policy, the state government has committed to implementing many reforms through a review, including baseline sentences for serious offences which will appease victims of crime groups.
A solution is complex and has troubled lawmakers and enforcers for decades but it is clear that there are some magistrates who believe further investigation is warranted.
In the end, whatever the age, sentences which make our community safer and help to provide an opportunity for young people to move on are paramount to the success of the judicial system.