Samenvatting

To achieve effective outcomes in youth justice, youth criminal law should help influence youth criminal behavior and support the young persons development to maturity. In New-Zealand, youth criminal behavior is dealt with by Family Group Conferences according to the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act. This way of dealing with youth criminal behavior supports the development of young persons and requires involvement of the young persons family and the victim. Research shows that conferencing in youth justice leads to less repeat offending. This supports the conclusion that Dutch youth justice should adopt the New-Zealand principles.