Victims
A key aim of the Youth Justice system is to protect the public by preventing offending by children. In support of this, the Youth Justice Agency is fully committed to working with victims of youth crime and taking account of their views of the process and its outcome.
We have published a Victims Charter which outlines our policy and procedures in working with victims of youth crime.
Our commitment to victims is strongly reinforced in our Mission Statement & Values, as demonstrated by the following extract :-
For Victims of Crime
- We recognise the rights of victims to redress and will meet these through youth conferencing where the victim will be given a real opportunity to participate
Respect for victims
- The needs of victims will be respected throughout the youth justice process
The Criminal Justice Review recommended that restorative justice should be integrated into the juvenile justice system in Northern Ireland using a youth conference model based in statute [the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002]. This is an innovative and inclusive approach to restorative justice which aims, for the first time, to give the victim a meaningful role in the outcome of an offence.
Within the Agency, this responsibility will be discharged primarily by the Youth Conference Service, whose aim is to balance the needs of the victim and the young offender by agreeing plans of action which satisfy the victim and create opportunities for the young person to make amends and stop committing crime.
The Agency offers specific guidance for victims in relation to their participation in a youth conference. A generic guide exists for all victims of youth crime while a more specific guide has been published to address the needs of the business and commercial sector.
A virtual walkthrough of the Criminal Justice System, from a victims perspective, is available by clicking here.
