The Damilola Taylor Trust established 7th December as the first national ‘Day of Hope’ on Damilola’s birthday, to celebrate the hopes of young people. This was a perfect opportunity for the Young Advocates to share their inspiring progress in their first presentation to a group of AYJ members and experts from the youth justice sector.

Amania Scott-Samuels, our Policy and Engagement Assistant, shares an exciting update about our Youth Justice Young Advocates project, including priority issues identified for their peer research, how they have already been involved in influencing decision-making and opportunities to get involved.

We are delighted to welcome 7 new members of our board! With these new additions, the board’s expertise has been expanded with young people’s perspectives, grassroots and community-based frontline experience, communications expertise, and strengthening our work to address racial injustice in the youth justice system.

Pippa Goodfellow (Director of the AYJ) and Hannah Smithson (Chair of the AYJ) comment on the publication of the Sentencing White Paper by the Ministry of Justice, describing proposals as a ‘mixed bag’ of reforms for the youth justice system.

Childhood criminal records are undermining positive developments across the youth justice system. In a new briefing, we have considered how the current criminal records system acts as a barrier to the priorities and goals wished to be achieved by the Youth Justice Board, as set out in their new strategy.