Youth justice conferencing
Youth justice conferencing is about bringing together the people affected by a crime committed by a young person.This is a meeting facilitated by a convenor. A conference brings the young person and their family together with the victim (if they wish to attend) as well as a police officer. A person may also attend as a representative of the child or the affected community. The convenor helps everyone talk through what happened and how everyone has been affected.
The aim of the conference is for the victim, the young person and their family to come up with an agreement about how the young person can begin to repair the harm caused by the offence. An agreement may contain outcomes such as the young person giving an apology, attending a program or performing unpaid work. The agreement must not be more severe than if a court sentenced the young person.
A court may refer a young person to a Youth Justice Conference. A court can also request that a Youth Justice Conference occur instead of the court making a sentence order.
A court may also request that a Youth Justice Conference take place before sentencing. In this case the court can consider the conference outcome at the time of sentencing.
Youth Justice Conferencing brochure: general About Youth justice conferencing program
Last updated: 20 June 2008.