Victims of youth crime
The youth justice system
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- The youth justice system
Overview
If you're a victim of a crime committed by a child or a young person, it will be dealt with through the youth justice process.
About the youth justice system
Youth justice is different from adult criminal justice. It deals with offending by tamariki (children) aged 10 to 13 years and rangatahi (young people) aged 14 to 17 years.
In this system Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children, New Zealand Police - Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa and other professionals work together to make sure children and young people are held accountable when they break the law.
You can watch a short video explaining how the youth justice system works here:
Balancing accountability and support
Young people who break the law are treated differently from adults. The youth justice system aims to help young people take responsibility for their actions, learn from them, and make positive changes.
In most cases, police will handle youth offending at a community level. This may include having the child or young person apologise, pay for any damage they caused, do community service, or take part in a community project.
For more serious offending children and young people may be referred to a Youth Justice Family Group Conference:
If things can’t be resolved through a Family Group Conference, the case may go to the Youth Court or, in some situations, the Family Court.