Youth Justice Professionals and the Youth Court

<p><strong>The current Aotearoa New Zealand Youth Justice System (NZYJS) was developed to be more responsive to the needs of rangatahi. However, subsequent research has demonstrated that rangatahi still have a limited understanding of court proceedings. Limited research has investigated Youth Justice Professionals' (YJP) perspectives of rangatahi participation in the Youth Court (YC). This qualitative research conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 YJP working in the YC throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Interviews were transcribed, and Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to identify key ideas. Five themes were developed in relation to professionals’ perspectives and experiences in the YC: Who are rangatahi? Challenges in court, Resourcing, Facilitators in court and Where to next. The findings of this research highlighted the characteristics of the rangatahi that come in contact with the YC and how these differences shape their experiences and ability to participate. YJP identified several barriers to rangatahi participation, including the physical layout of the court, the process with which the YC follows, communication difficulties and relational challenges. While YJP acknowledged the challenges mentioned above, they also highlighted several factors that are working well in the YC. This included the professionals themselves, the level of responsivity and the implementation of effective communication.</strong></p><p>The findings from this research highlighted the need for a holistic approach to reform the current NZYJS and adequately address the multiple interconnected factors mentioned above.</p><p>The current study contributes to the youth justice field, with limited research investigating YJP experiences and perspectives of rangatahi participation in court. These findings aim to increase our knowledge and understanding of rangatahi ability to actively and meaningfully participate in the YC. It highlights the need for more research investigating how YJP, rangatahi and whānau can be supported in the YC while highlighting practical implications to make the current YC process rangatahi-centred.</p>