NSW Youth Convictions Plunge After Court Rules Kids Can’t Grasp Right From Wrong

This has raised the issue of how to tackle youth crime and reduce harm to the community, and whether it is fair for victims.

A protestor is handcuffed by police in Manchester, England, on Oct. 12, 2023. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Significantly fewer children in New South Wales (NSW) have been held responsible for serious crimes—like arson, robbery and murder—in the past nine years after a landmark High Court decision in 2016.

A new study suggests this could the problem for authorities in Australia’s most populous state trying to deal with youth crime and reduce harm to the community.