Youth Justice Conferencing

A youth justice conference is a meeting between the people affected by a crime that a young person has committed.

When a young person admits to an offence, the police may make a referral to a youth justice conference instead of sending the matter to court.

The people who go to the conference will include:

• a conference convenor (the person who organises the conference)
• a police officer
• the young person who committed the offence
• the young person’s family or support person (this may be a guardian or other adult who is close to them)
• the victim (if they wish to attend)
• a support person for the victim (if they wish to attend)

and sometimes a:

• legal representative for the victim or the young person who committed the offence (or both)
• respected member of the community or member of the Community Justice Group.

Why is a conference held?

A youth justice conference is held to:

• provide a safe, supportive environment for everyone involved to talk about what happened
• hold the young person accountable for their actions
• involve the victim, the young person and the young person’s family in decisions about what should happen to repair the harm that has been caused.

Before a conference

Before the conference takes place, a person called a convenor will contact you to arrange a separate meeting. At the meeting they will explain what will happen at the conference, answer any questions you may have and help you prepare for the conference.

You also have the right to talk with a legal representative or bring your legal representative with you to the conference.

At the conference

The convenor will help everyone talk about what happened, including:

• how everyone was affected
• how they feel about it
• what the young person might do to help repair the harm that was caused to the victim.

If you are a young person who committed a crime, the youth justice conference will give you the chance to:

• own up to what you have done
• understand how your actions have affected other people
• make amends for the harm you have caused.

If you are a member of the young person’s family, and/or a support person for the young person, or a support person for the victim, it will give you the chance to:

• be involved in decisions about what should happen
• support the young person to help prevent something like this happening again (young person’s family or support person)
• support to the victim to participate in the conference (victim support).

The length of a conference depends on the situation but generally takes around 2 hours.

After the conference

Generally, the outcome of a conference will be a written agreement signed by the victim, the young person, the police and the convenor. The conference agreement is a legally binding document which states what the young person will do to repair the harm caused to the victim.

In the agreement, the young person might agree to:

• make a formal apology
• act in a way to help the victim feel more safe and secure
• if possible, replace or pay for the damage or loss of property
• accept other support to help prevent further offending
• perform voluntary work or services for the victim or the community.

The agreement also contains details of who will support the young person to complete the agreement and how that will happen.

If an agreement isn’t reached, the young person doesn’t attend the conference or breaks the agreement, the police or court will decide what will happen. This may include sending the young person to court, referring the young person to another conference, giving them a warning or taking no further action.

More information