YJLC Summit

The annual YJLC Summit brings together those who work tirelessly in this undervalued sector, and celebrates our community and collective work. Our speakers are leading experts from across the globe and have shared their ideas and tools for ensuring the better treatment and representation of children in the criminal legal system. At the Summit, we share knowledge, circulate innovation, and develop best practice.

Summit 2023: Exploring Alternatives to the Criminal Legal System for Children

The 5th edition of the annual YJLC Summit, held at King's College on October 5th, 2023, was a pivotal event aimed at exploring alternative approaches to the criminal legal system for children. Recognizing the urgent need for professionals to advocate for the rights and well-being of children within the criminal justice system, the summit brought together experts and activists to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to achieve better outcomes for young people.

The summit's agenda encompassed several critical topics including Kids, Drugs & Criminality, Schools and Police, Non-Punitive Approaches, and Protection/Safeguarding v Criminalization/Investigation. You can see the highlights from these panel sessions here.

The YJLC Summit served as a crucial platform for dialogue, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas, all with the overarching goal of creating a more effective and compassionate landscape for children involved in the criminal justice system. The event provided a significant opportunity to work toward a more just and inclusive approach to child welfare and juvenile justice. 

If you would like to attend next year, sign up to our newsletter to receive updates about YJLC Summit 2024!

Watch our Summit 2023 Highlights film below.

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YJLC Summit 2021

YJLC Summit 2021: Bias. Discrimination. Fear.

The YJLC Summit 2021 took place on 25th March, with over 1,800 livestream viewers.

In this extraordinary year, the YJLC Summit was free to attend live. 

The fourth annual Youth Justice Legal Centre Summit was an interactive, live virtual event.

The day brought experts from various jurisdictions together with practitioners to learn about bias and discrimination and to share ideas on how to overcome it. Attendees heard from leading experts from across the globe about their ideas for tools that can be used to confront discrimination in order to represent children better.

The summit looked at five areas where children in the criminal justice system can experience discrimination. The themes of these were GirlsRaceClassKids (age), and FearYou can watch some of the highlights from each session here and an overview of the day below.

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