At a glance:
- The current youth justice system works well for the majority of offenders: the fundamental structure and principles of New Zealand’s youth justice system are considered sound
- Other jurisdictions regard the New Zealand youth justice system, in particular the Family Group Conference (FGC) process, as a model to aspire to
- Outcomes show that the system is working, with decreases in overall youth apprehension rates
- Although there are many positives, over recent years violent youth offending has increased (see table below)
- There is a small group of around 1,000 serious and persistent youth offenders who are responsible for nearly half the crime committed by young people.
- There is also concern about the over representation of Maori and Pacific young offenders in the youth justice system
