Youth Justice Action Team

The Youth Justice Action Team (YJAT) comprises of young people with previous experience in the youth justice system, local services and government, schools and academic institutions. The team aims to ensure all young people have the proper supports in their life to prevent them from coming into contact with the youth justice system.

Recent research shows that most young people in the juvenile justice system meet the criteria for at least one mental health disorder, such as major depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety. Since 2018, Identified through the Street Smart Program, many of these young people land in the juvenile justice system because their conditions or social welfare issues are unrecognised, community services aren’t available, or systems aren’t coordinating effectively to put the proper support in place.