It is simply unfair to penalise young people for delays in the court system. To appear before the adult court for an offence allegedly committed while the defendant was still legally a child has the potential to trigger a range of consequences which can have a serious impact on their future, including education and job prospects and the loss of anonymity, which is afforded to defendants in youth court.
Most young people, if given the support and opportunities to change their behaviour, do just that. If they remain in the youth jurisdiction, these young people will still have the chance to access youth diversion schemes intended to provide support to reduce offending. It is our duty as a justice system, and as a society, to give them this chance.
The MA national chair, Bev Higgs, has had an article published in the Law Society Gazette on the issue of young people who turn 18 before their case comes to court and so appear in the adult court, rather than the youth court.
After an overwhelming vote on the issue at our AGM in 2020, it is now an MA policy priority to campaign for this cohort to have their cases heard in the youth court, where there is a greater focus on the young person's wellbeing and on preventing reoffending.
In the article Bev argues that young people should not be penalised for delays in the court system but should instead receive the help and support appropriate to their young age to help turn their lives around.
Read the article here.