The Crisafulli Government is delivering on a key election commitment and restoring safety where you live, with Circuit Breaker Sentencing, passing in Parliament last week.
The Labor Opposition voted against the Bill, despite its design to deliver a nation-leading court-ordered rehabilitation program, which gives court a powerful new tool to deal with repeat youth offenders.
This new program is a key pillar in the Crisafulli Government’s plan to make Queensland safer after the former Labor government’s weak laws created a youth crime crisis and sent victim numbers skyrocketing.
The Youth Justice (Circuit Breaker) Amendment Bill 2026 will give courts the power to sentence youth to the program or order participation in the program as a condition of bail, as a genuine alternative to detention.
This ensures youth offenders are removed from the communities they have harmed while receiving the structure, discipline, education and intensive rehabilitation they need to prevent them from reoffending.
The program will be delivered in remote locations, in a highly controlled setting, for 60 youth offenders for up to 6 months.
Youth will participate in structured activities including ‘hands-on’ learning, for example in agricultural activities or livestock management, where they can gain practical knowledge, and the skills needed to help get them back on track.
Every participant will wear an electronic monitoring device to ensure strict compliance and the safety and security of the site and the community.
The program is expected to commence later this year.
Queensland is once again leading the nation in rehabilitation with Circuit Breaker Sentencing passing Parliament.
Circuit Breaker Sentencing will be the last stop before detention, offering youth offenders one final chance to turn their lives around while gaining the practical life skills they need to get back on track.
It will give courts a powerful new tool to deal with repeat youth offenders by removing them from the community they have caused harm to and ordering them to Circuit Breaker Sentencing, an intensive rehabilitation program.
We will always deliver strong laws and programs that make Queensland safer and drive down crime and that’s exactly what Circuit Breaker Sentencing will do.
