Lousy Food Banished

Juvenile crime in Australia is starting to feel like a broken record—kids stealing cars, joyriding, seriously injuring people, and youth gangs running amuck. We hear about it constantly, but what actually happens to them? Not much. A slap on the wrist, some home detention, maybe a strongly worded letter. Meanwhile, victims are left to pick up the pieces while these kids treat the justice system like a revolving door. If you’re old enough to steal a car and risk lives, you’re old enough to face real consequences.

Then there’s the “Oops, I Wasn’t in My Right Mind” Loophole—the go-to excuse for dodging accountability. Sure, mental health is real, but if you’ve got no serious history of it and suddenly develop a case of “convenient incompetence” after committing a crime, you shouldn’t just be sent on your merry way. If you want to play that card, fine—but that means seeing a psychiatrist and being placed in a proper mental unit, not just getting a free pass to go about your business.

If I could change one law, I’d make sure justice wasn’t just a suggestion. Accountability should actually mean something.