Reformatory Schools Act 1866
Details
The Reformatory Schools Act 1866 (30 Victoria, Act No. 4, 1866) came into operation in 1869. Under the Act, any child under the age of sixteen who had been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to fourteen or more days imprisonment could be sent to a reformatory for one to five years. There were to be separate reformatories for boys and girls, and parents were asked to pay maintenance for children, if possible, while they served time. The Act was repealed by the Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act 1901.
Reformatories were controlled by the Comptroller General of Prisons until the 1880s, when they were transferred to the Department of Public Instruction.
1869 - 1901 Reformatory Schools Act 1866
1901 - 1905 Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act 1901
1905 - 1923 Neglected Children and Juvenile Offenders Act 1905
1923 - 1939 Child Welfare Act 1923
1939 - 1987 Child Welfare Act 1939
1965 - 2003 Adoption of Children Act 1965
1987 - 2010 Children (Care and Protection) Act 1987
1998 - Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998
2000 - Adoption Act 2000
Sources used to compile this entry: History of the Children's Court [extracted from Blackmore, R., The Children's Court and Community Welfare in NSW, Lawlink NSW, 2009, http://www.childrenscourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/History%20of%20Children%27s%20Legislation%20in%20NSW.pdfhttp://www.childrenscourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/History%20of%20Children%27s%20Legislation%20in%20NSW.pdf; 'Mount Penang Juvenile Justice Centre', in State Records Authority of New South Wales website, State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority of NSW 2016, https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/agency/486; 'Shaftesbury Reformatory', in State Records Authority of New South Wales website, State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority of NSW 2016, https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/agency/461.
Prepared by: Naomi Parry
Created: 7 June 2023