New South Wales Consolidated Acts

YOUNG OFFENDERS ACT 1997 - SECT 3

3 Objects of Act

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, and

(b) to establish a scheme for the purpose of providing an efficient and direct response to the commission by children of certain offences, and

(c) to establish and use youth justice conferences to deal with alleged offenders in a way that:

(i) enables a community based negotiated response to offences involving all the affected parties, and

(ii) emphasizes restitution by the offender and the acceptance of responsibility by the offender for his or her behaviour, and

(iii) meets the needs of victims and offenders, and

(d) to address the over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the criminal justice system through the use of youth justice conferences, cautions and warnings.