Creative Youth Justice Practice

Marlene Levine

The youth justice provisions of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 seek to minimise the formal involvement of children and young people in the criminal justice system while holding them accountable for their offending behaviour.

The Creative Youth Justice Project aimed to identify examples of creative Family Group Conference (FGC) plans for serious repeat offenders that did not incorporate a custodial component. Information was gathered from interviews with selected youth justice professionals.

This paper summarises some of the findings of this research and discusses the critical issues they present to youth justice policy and practice. The main operational policy issues identified focused on: the importance of  nurturing effective working relationships within and between the key agencies of the youth justice system; networking with the community for the promotion of programmes; thorough FGC preparation aimed at the involvement of victims, young people and family members; resolving outstanding issues in the interface between youth justice and care and protection; and ensuring FGC plans address young people’s accountability for their actions, victims’ needs and young people’s developmental needs.