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Downpatrick community providing support to Youth Justice Agency ( 1/03/2010)
The Youth Justice Agency held the latest in a series of networking events in the St Patrick’s Centre, Downpatrick on Wednesday 24th February.Local politicians joined statutory, community and voluntary groups for the seminar where they heard how the Agency works with 10 to 17 year olds who have become involved in, or are in danger of becoming involved in, offending behaviour.
Young people from Ballymote Drama group performed a mock youth conference, a restorative justice process where young people come face to face with the victims of their crimes. The youth conference provides a forum to discuss the effects the crime has had on all parties and to develop an action plan to make amends for the offence. Plans can include apologies, completing community service and taking part in programmes to address offending behaviour, such as alcohol or drugs awareness and anger management. Youth conferences can be ordered by the Public Prosecution Service or the Courts and the majority of victims and young people find this a cathartic experience. Youth conference plans are supervised by the Youth Justice Agency’s Community Services directorate which has a local office in English Street, Downpatrick.
One lady gave her experience as a victim of crime and acknowledged that while some teenagers make mistakes in life that does not mean they are destined for a life of crime. She fully supports youth conferencing as a method of keeping young people out of the criminal justice system at such a tender age, while importantly also taking account of victims’ rights and concerns.
Anne Marie Dillon spoke of renovating a caravan with the help of one young man who was asked to complete community service as part of his youth conference plan. The caravan acts as a Community centre in Ballykinlar and is a valuable asset for the local community, allowing pensioners to get out of the house and meet for regular coffee mornings.
Other guest speakers included representatives from the PSNI, The Public Prosecution Service and the Community Safety Partnership.
Orlaith McGibbon, Assistant Director of the Agency’s Youth Conference Service oversaw proceedings. She said “I am delighted with the turnout we had today. It is evident from the speakers that the people of Downpatrick are keen to support us in dealing with offending behaviour and in giving young people a chance to turn their lives around. We rely on the support of our partner organisations and the local community. Many of those here today have acted as community representatives at youth conferences while others provide valuable reparation opportunities for young people. We hope this networking event will give an insight into our work and help us develop new partnerships in Downpatrick and its neighbouring areas.”
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