Victorian teens to face life in prison for violent crimes as new law enforced

Victorian teenagers who commit violent crimes could face life imprisonment from today as the state government enforces its 'adult time for violent crime' laws.

From today, Victorian teens as young as 14 who commit crimes such as aggravated home invasions and carjacking will face adult sentences in adult jail.

That means the maximum jail sentence faced by a person aged 14 to 17 will surge from three years to 25 years.

READ MORE: VB pins hopes on mid-strength as Aussies drop classic beers

In the Victorian courts, 97 per cent of adults sentenced for aggravated home invasion or aggravated carjackings go to jail.

However, just 34 per cent of children and young people sentenced for the same crimes are given prison time.

The new laws follow on from state counterparts in Queensland, where Premier David Crisafulli has cited a 7.2 per cent drop in victims of crime last year since the landmark legislation was enforced in December 2024.

Youth experts and advocates have broadly criticised this approach to tackling crime.

In addition to the crackdown on youth sentencing, the Victorian government is also enforcing a ban on good character during sentencing.

The ban means the courts can no longer consider evidence of a person's 'good character' as a reason to reduce their sentence.

Currently, good-character references are only banned in certain cases including child sexual abuse, but today's announcement would implement the ban system-wide.

READ MORE: Sydney lawyer allegedly stole nearly $15 million from clients

"Victim-survivors of crimes are having to sit in court and hear that the person who harmed them is a 'good person' – that compounds the trauma, diminishes their experience and can't continue," Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny said.

"This is about also looking at ways we can strengthen and support our justice system to support victim-survivors," Premier Jacinta Allan added.

Courts can still consider the other factors they usually would when sentencing, such as the chance of reoffending

The legislation will be brought to Parliament in the middle of the year.

• NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here