The Australasian Juvenile Justice Standards
The AJJA Juvenile Justice Standards are published jointly by the juvenile justice administrators across Australia and New Zealand. The standards outline an agreed minimum standard for practice that juvenile justice services agencies aspire to meet.
The principal purpose of a juvenile justice system is to intervene with children and young people to contribute to community safety by reducing re-offending.
Fundamental to juvenile justice systems is the recognition that children and young people are different to adults: they vary in maturation levels and depend on adults for care, supervision and guidance.
Juvenile justice services should be delivered to children and young people in ways that:
- recognise vulnerability
- recognise developmental levels
- recognise gender
- recognise cultural and religious beliefs and practices
- promote procedural fairness while paying regard to legislative and service rights
- separate children and young people from adult populations.
Juvenile justice systems should balance principles of accountability and proportionality, minimise formal intervention and seek opportunity for restorative justice or restitution (where legislated) and for children and young people involved in the system to be reintegrated into the community.
Jurisdictions recognise that children and young people should, as far as possible, be maintained within their immediate community. Effective outcomes are more likely if links with family and significant others are sustained, and community partnerships developed.
The AJJA Juvenile Justice Standards aim to promote non-offending by children and young people by ensuring that jurisdictions deliver services that:
1. are procedurally fair and acknowledge the rights and responsibilities of all involved
2. provide professional, timely, evidence-based advice to courts, statutory authorities and other stakeholders
3. support compliance, contribute to reducing offending, increase community safety and support positive behaviour
4. reduce offending by working with families and providing support to cultural networks of children and young people
5. partner with government and community organisations to improve integrated services
6. increase the availability and effectiveness of diversionary strategies
7. provide the necessary facilities and other resources
8. are supported by workforce practices that enable staff to deliver effective and efficient juvenile justice services
9. provide safe, secure and developmentally appropriate detention environments
10. optimise the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
The AJJA Juvenile Justice Standards includes three documents:
AJJA Juvenile Justice Standards 2009
AJJA Evidence based guide 2010
AJJA Member Files