Review Gatekeeping Role in Young Offender's Act 1997


Terms of Reference

The terms of reference for this review are as follows:

“To review the first 12 months of the operation of the Young Offenders Act 1997 (the Act) in order to:

A. Determine how the Act is meeting its objectives as specified under section 3 (a) of the Act, with specific reference to:

• statistical information concerning the use of alternative processes to court proceedings provided for under the Act (that is, warnings, cautions and conferences) as compared to court proceedings;
• the factors, including cultural issues, that influence the making of determinations under the Act.

B. Identify best practice and make recommendations for improvements to relevant policies, procedures and legislation, as appropriate.

Section 3(a) of the Act states that:

“The objects of this Act are:

(a) to establish a scheme that provides an alternative process to court proceedings for dealing with children who commit certain offences through the use of youth justice conferences, cautions and warnings …”




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