Legal compensation involving a minor?

Question

Recently my family were broken into & in the last week we received a letter stating that the person involved was a minor and the magistrate had advised a Youth Justice Conference.

I spoke to the persons involved in the conference and stated I would not come to an agreement unless it involed compensation for items stolen in a monetary value.

Problem is I am unsure if I seek compensation from the child & his family or is there a public monies which I am able to be compensated from.

We live in Queensland if thats any help, not too sure if state laws differ dramatically.

Answer 1

The minor's parents or legal guardian would be the ones to compensate you.

Answer 2

From my research, it seems part of the conference is for discussing options to pay for or replace lost or damaged items.  And yes, most likely it would be from the child and his family.  There may be a victim compensation fund, but it usually is for personal injuries (physical or mental) only.

Answer 3

If the stolen items total over a certain dollar amount, the child can be held responsible for payment or tried as an adult. Make that little thief pay and suffer until he is able to respect the property of others. Throw the book at him