In any given year, hundreds of kids languish behind bars. In Australia, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is 10. In other words, a 4th grader can be arrested and brought before the court. Canberra is the only jurisdiction that has taken steps to raise the age.

This week on Women on The Line, Raise The Age campaigner and solicitor, Sophie Trevitt, explains why locking up kids is not only “traumatic for the child” but exposes them to further harm.

And in the second half of the show, Doin Time’s Marisa Sposaro chats to Bronwyn Carlson, a Professor of Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University.

We want to thank Marisa for giving us permission to play her special International Women’s Day coverage.

Today’s episode explores aspects of the criminal justice system that might be distressing to some listeners.

If discussions about violence and trauma are a trigger for you, please come back another week.

For support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit Lifeline on lifeline.org.au. Lifeline is a 24-hour hotline.