TOWARDS 2024

Children and young people (CYP) who come into contact and / or conflict with the law are likely to have a neuro-disability (ND), which is a form of condition of the brain that leads to developmental impairment. The most common being Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by falls, accidents, fights and assaults, which recent studies have shown to be present in more than half of young people incarcerated. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its General Comment 24 on juvenile justice, states that children with Neuro-disability (ND) are heavily represented in those who enter custody. Those children should have their needs identified whilst detained, but, foremost, should not be at risk of being imprisoned in the first place.

This workshop aims to identify how United Nations member states may protect the rights of children and young people with Neuro-disability (ND) who are in contact and/or in conflict with the law. Neuro-Disabilities, such as Traumatic Brain injury may often underlie behaviours that are criminalised. This session will present examples of policy and practice developments in this area – pre-judicial, judicial and custody. Key experts in this field will provide examples of good practices, and we will establish a working group to encourage future innovations. The results of this session would not only improve lives of those affected, but also, we argue, reduce future crime.