Petition to Abolish the Young Offenders Act and Strengthen Responses to Youth Violent Crime

To the Parliament of Parliament of New South Wales,

We, the undersigned, are calling for an urgent review and abolition of the current Young Offenders Act due to the growing increase in serious youth assault offences and violent crimes across our communities.

Communities throughout New South Wales are experiencing increasing concern around repeat youth offending, including violent assaults, home invasions, armed robberies, and attacks causing serious physical and emotional harm. Many victims and families feel the current system prioritises rehabilitation without providing adequate accountability, protection for victims, or deterrence for repeat violent behaviour.

While early intervention and support services remain important, there must also be stronger consequences for serious and repeat violent offending. The current legislation is no longer meeting community expectations for safety and justice.

We call on the Government to:

Abolish or substantially reform the Young Offenders Act.

Introduce stronger penalties for repeat violent youth offenders.

Ensure serious assault offences are dealt with through stronger court processes.

Increase support for victims of youth crime.

Expand early intervention programs focused on preventing violent offending before escalation.

Improve community safety measures and police resources in high-risk areas.

This petition is not about criminalising all young people. It is about recognising the growing impact violent youth crime is having on victims, families, and the wider community, and ensuring laws reflect the seriousness of these offences.

We urge the Government to take immediate action to restore public confidence in the justice system and better protect the community from escalating youth violence.