News
Youth Justice Agency holds special Youth Conference for local schools (19/04/2007)
Dungannon Court House provided the venue for the Youth Justice Agency to hold a mock Youth Conference for around 100 local school children, where students were given the opportunity to act out various roles in front of their classmates.A Youth Conference is a meeting between the victim of youth crime and the young offender to explore in full the impact of the crime and ensure that effective reparation is made for the harm caused. It is designed to help the victim achieve a stronger sense of justice and ensure that the young offender takes responsibility for the damage they have inflicted.
Organised by a Youth Conference Co-ordinator there are a number of different people involved in a Youth Conference including a Youth Diversion Officer from the Police Service of Northern Ireland who reads the statement of facts from the crime, an appropriate adult to aid the young offender and supporters of the victim.
Students from local schools in Dungannon and Cookstown, by acting out the various roles involved in a Youth Conference, got to experience at first hand how it might feel both for a young person who has committed a crime and the victim of that crime to come face-to-face.
Stephanie McCarroll from the Royal School, Dungannon performed the role of the young persons’ Mother and found the experience beneficial, commenting “It is interesting to see how young people are dealt with in the youth justice system. The Youth Conference is an appropriate method of dealing with youth crime as it makes young people aware of the consequences of their actions.”
Donna Martin, Youth Conference Co-ordinator with the Youth Justice Agency said “Observing a youth conference is a valuable exercise for young people as it makes them more aware of the impact that their actions has on others on a physical and emotional level.
“The prospect of having to explain their actions to others, and particularly to the victim, is a difficult situation for them to face up to, and this experience will hopefully help to steer them away from any future criminal activity,” she continued.
The mock Conference was part of a day long programme organised collectively by all the criminal justice agencies in Northern Ireland. The joint initiative outreach event focused on the dangers and implications of car crime to young people.
The school-children gained a valuable insight into the whole criminal justice process from the scene of the crime and the subsequent arrest right through to an identity parade and even a mock trial presided over by His Honour Judge McFarland, a local County Court judge.
Other Directorates of the Youth Justice Agency, including Community Services, Custodial Services and Corporate Services also took part in the Careers Fair in the afternoon, highlighting the many varied job opportunities available within the Youth Justice system.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Youth Justice Agency was established in April 2003 in line with the recommendations of the Criminal Justice Review.
- The aim of the Youth Justice Agency is to reduce youth crime and to build confidence in the youth justice system.
- Youth Conference Service is one of four Directorates within Youth Justice Agency, others include Community Services, Custodial Services and Corporate Services.
- The Youth Conference Service aims to develop restorative approaches which challenge people who have offended to make amends to their victims for their behaviour and to put in place actions which will contribute to prevention of further offending.
- Referrals are received by either of two criminal justice processes:-
- young people who admit their offence can be referred by the Public Prosecution Service for a pre-court diversionary conference;
- those who have appeared before the court, have been found guilty of an offence and have consented will also, in most circumstances, be referred to the Youth Conference Service.
- The Youth Conference Service aims to balance the needs of the victim and the young offender (aged 10-17) by together agreeing plans of action which satisfy the victim and create opportunities for the young person to make amends and stop committing crime.
- Other criminal justice agencies represented at the Outreach event held on 19th April included the Northern Ireland Court Service, the Northern Ireland Office, the Northern Ireland Prison Service, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Public Prosecution Service.
- Schools participating in the event were: East Tyrone College of Further and Higher Education; Holy Trinity College, Cookstown; Integrated College Dungannon; The Royal School and St Patricks Academy.
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