Objectives of the Youth Justice System

The Crime and Disorder Act established six key objectives to help achieve the aim of reducing offending by young people. The objectives are:

• Swift administration of justice
• Confronting young offenders with the consequences of their offending, for themselves and their families, their victims and the community and helping them to develop a sense of personal responsibility
• Intervention which tackles the particular factors which puts the young person at risk of offending and which strengthens ‘protective factors’
• Punishment proportionate to the seriousness and persistence of offending
• Encouraging reparation to victims by young offenders
• Reinforcing the responsibility of parents