Letter from Glasgow
[Editor’s Note: Charlotte Morris is Communications Lead for the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice at the University of Strathclyde, in Glasgow. She was kind enough to write this piece introducing her colleague Claire Lightowler’s groundbreaking report on revolutionizing youth justice in Scotland. Ms. Lightowler is director of the center. The report itself is well worth reading for any member of any country interested in improving its justice system for young people.]
Scotland’s justice system needs reform to be truly ‘rights respecting’ if it is to uphold the Scottish Government’s commitment to United Nations (UN) regulations on children’s rights, according to a report published by the country’s leading ‘think tank’ for youth justice.
The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ)’s ‘Rights Respecting? Scotland’s approach to children in conflict with the law’ is the first report of its kind to translate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scottish specific actions to improve policy, practice and experience in youth justice.
The Scottish Government has committed to incorporating the UNCRC into domestic law in Scotland by 2021, recognising that a significant change is required if children’s rights are to be progressed.
This report explores what needs to happen to achieve this, highlighting the key issues and challenges, and providing a clear and compelling argument for why a fundamental shift in focus is needed.
It is written by CYCJ’s director, Dr Claire Lightowler, who took a year’s sabbatical to dedicate herself to exploring the complex and often emotive issues around offending by children, based on CYCJ’s belief that youth justice in Scotland requires a reconfiguration on a scale not seen since the Kilbrandon Report reshaped the child welfare landscape in the 1960s.
Claire describes her report as “a different way of thinking about youth justice. It’s a shift from thinking about children as troubled, vulnerable, risky, as victims, to children as rights holders – and that’s a completely different way of thinking which encourages a very different kind of response.”
The report has received praise from leading policy makers and senior figures in Scotland’s justice, legal and child welfare systems.
Bruce Adamson, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, pronounces it “robust and impressive…the first piece of work that comprehensively examines Scotland’s youth justice system from a rights-based perspective. This report is a significant milestone on that journey to a youth justice system where children’s human rights are fully embedded.”
And Alison Reid, Principal Solicitor at Clan Childlaw, comments:
“This report is an immensely important, thoughtful, comprehensive and timely analysis of Scotland’s record in respecting the rights of children who are in conflict with the law, demonstrating the urgent need – and opportunity before us – to ensure the rights children are guaranteed under international human rights law are upheld and form the basis of all legislation, policy and practice.
Read the full report here. You can also download a summary.
About the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice
The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) is dedicated to supporting improvements in youth justice, contributing to better lives for individuals, families and communities. It is primarily funded by the Scottish Government and hosted by the University of Strathclyde.
The CYCJ vision is of a Scotland where all individuals and communities are safe and flourish; and where Scottish youth justice practice, policy and research are internationally renowned and respected.
CYCJ contributes to this by developing, supporting and understanding youth justice practice, policy and research in Scotland, and through seeking and sharing learning internationally.
Go to www.cycj.org.uk to find out more – and sign up to our mailing list to receive monthly updates on events and training opportunities, youth justice news and much more.
Follow CYCJ on Twitter @CYCJScotland. You can join the discussion using #RightsRespecting.