Youth Justice

The new headquarters of Northern Ireland's Youth Justice Agency (YJA) have been officially opened. Naomi Long, the justice minister, yesterday cut the ribbon at the new facilities at Charles House, Donegall Street, Belfast, which will also house the Youth Justice Services Belfast Area Team.

Four new youth diversion projects (YDPs) in Monaghan, Wicklow, Cork and Mayo are to receive funding of at least €1.5 million this year, the government has announced. YDPs work with young people at risk of crime and anti-social behaviour to divert them away from criminal behaviour and towards be

Youth diversion projects for under-18s could be extended to young adults aged up to 24 years old under proposals explored in a new government report. A discussion paper published to coincide with a one-day conference on youth justice at Croke Park suggests establishing a system similar to the Garda

The number of young Catholics in custody in Northern Ireland appears to be disproportionately high, new research suggests. A 32-page report produced by researchers at Queen's University Belfast for the Department of Justice notes that 63 per cent of children in custody in 2018/2019 self-identified a

Northern Ireland's Youth Justice Agency (YJA) has published its corporate plan for 2022–25, which sets out its planned work to prevent children from being drawn into the criminal justice system. Justice minister Naomi Long launched the corporate plan during a visit to Woodlands Juvenile Justic

Children's rights in Northern Ireland are being compromised by a failure to implement recommendations made by a youth justice review more than a decade ago, according to a new report. The Children's Law Centre, Include Youth, NIACRO and Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) commissioned youth justi

Research commissioned by Northern Ireland's Youth Justice Agency (YJA) will establish "if and why" children and young people from a Catholic background are more likely to be detained in custody. Around three-quarters of young offenders held in Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre are from a Catholic ba

A six-year youth justice strategy aimed at diverting children and young adults who commit a crime away from further offending and involvement with the criminal justice system has been launched. The Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027, developed by a steering group since 2019, is designed to provide a d

There is "patchy" evidence of progress on reform of the youth justice system in Northern Ireland, a new report has warned. The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) has published a follow-up report considering progress made by the Department of Justice and Youth Justice Agency (YJA) since a highly cr

A bail supervision scheme which offers an alternative to remand detention for young people charged with criminal offences has been extended to courts in Cork and Limerick. Children's Minister Dr Katherine Zappone has signed a contract with Extern for the continuation and expansion of the Bail S

Most offenders in youth diversion programmes are complying with restrictions introduced to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study. Researchers at University of Limerick are examining how young people participating in Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDP) are responding to the COVI

Plans to extend youth supports in the justice system to young adults aged up to 24 have been welcomed by penal reform campaigners. David Stanton, the minister with responsibility for youth justice, last week published his draft strategy for youth justice for the six-year period from 2020 to 2026.

Alternative sentencing and policy approaches are needed to reduce the offending rate among young adults, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has said. Speaking ahead of a seminar on youth justice this afternoon, IPRT executive director Fíona Ní Chinnéide said young adults are mo

Two major research projects aimed at identifying how to reform and develop youth justice in Ireland have been announced by the Government. The first project, the GYDP Action Research Project, will work with 15 of the 106 Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) across the country over a two-year perio