Your DNA. On record. Permanently. 30 Melbourne High Shoplifters. Year 9’s. On record. Permanently. 14 to 17 year olds. Their DNA. On record. Permanently.
This year’s Justice Legislation Bill, if supported, will provide Victoria Police with the right to obtain the DNA of a suspected criminal as young as 14 without a court order. We must support this, but only after exempting fourteen to seventeen year olds from the bill. This change will allow the Police to promptly withdraw hardened criminals from our society – such as drug traffickers, sexual offenders and violent assaulters. There will be fewer instances of crime and we will be safer. But to allow the Police to thieve your DNA sample for thieving a Snickers bar at just 14? That is a crime in itself.
If you turn on your TV, without fail, the news will be laden with stories of violence. This is a problem that we can diminish.
By endowing the Police with this additional authority, we will definitely lessen both the frequency and severity of serious criminal activity in Victoria. Perhaps you consider Victoria a safe state, but why would you prefer to allow preventable incidents of crime, especially when it comes to dealing with savages? According to a 2014-2015 Sentencing Council study, “43.6% of adult criminals are caught reoffending within just 2 years”. This legislation will help to prevent these repeat offenders from harming the livelihood of innocent people. Clearly, without the need of the court’s approval, dangerous criminals will be arrested faster, minimising the harm that they would otherwise inflict on vulnerable people. But crime is not just a simple numbers game. It affects the wellbeing of countless real victims, as well as their friends and family.
Therefore, we must impose these laws to reduce the utterly traumatic experiences for every victim of crime. The passing of this bill will give hope to hurting families who just need answers. Many cases which occurred years, or even decades ago will finally be solved, as expedient DNA testing will tie suspects to their crimes. So, by solving crimes more quickly, we will mitigate the damage imposed on victims and their families – reducing devastation and grief. With this bill, we will be preventing crimes of the future whilst also assisting victims still suffering from the past.
[present slide]
This is Steven Avery. He is a real victim. He was wrongly imprisoned for 18 years, purely because his profile was in the system. He had an alibi which was supported by multiple witnesses throughout the day of the assault and his DNA didn’t even match that of the assailant!
[present following slide]
Avery would have wrongly spent another 14 years in jail if it wasn’t for matching the assailant’s DNA sample to that of a suspected serial rapist.
While cases such as this are few and far between, the utter upheaval of justice highlighted by Avery’s case suggests to us that juvenile delinquents can also be endangered by a criminal record. We must exempt 14 to 17 year olds from these changes. Being on record could see teenagers mistreated in ways they do not deserve. Instead, we should be seeking justice.
Some people say that 14-17 year olds are just the same as those older than 18. However, this assumption is misguided. Research conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology concluded that “most juveniles ‘grow out’ of offending and adopt law-abiding lifestyles as they mature”. In Australia, our staple age of maturity is 18 years old; an age where we become culpable for our actions. Therefore, we should not allow the misdemeanours committed by an adolescent in such an experimental and vulnerable phase, to irreparably ruin their life. How would you feel as a parent if your child came home, never to fully feel secure for their future again? Could you accept your child’s rejection when applying for jobs, because of a silly mistake made at 14? We should seek to reduce crime but not at the cost of oppressing our own misled youth.
We, Victorians, all need protection from our government. These laws would serve to protect us from the worst criminals; rapists, murderers and wife-beaters. We should all agree with the passing of this bill, when it is only concerned with Victorian adults.
Imagine that all the dangerous people in Victoria are behind bars; imagine a world where the Police are able to properly protect you; imagine a world where teenagers do not have their quality of life jeopardised by an injurious criminal record.