Aims of the youth justice system
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.
Charter for victims of crime
We have published a Victims Charter which outlines our policy and procedures in working with victims of youth crime.
Restorative justice
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 innovative and inclusive approach to restorative justice has, for the first time, given the victim a meaningful role in the outcome of an offence.
Restorative practices have been integrated into a wide range of Agency services although these are delivered primarily through our youth conferencing process which which aims 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 information for victims in relation to their participation in a youth conference and helps the victim prepare for a conference.