On Wednesday 22nd Jan '25, members heard from Julia McGrath, a qualified lawyer now working in the area of youth justice.

Julia presented to our meeting in her personal (not professional) capacity and gave an excellent presentation to 40 members and guests about her experiences and the youth justice system in Victoria.

Julia outlined her motivation for working with youth, the continuum of services that exist for youth that come into contact with the justice system, such as cautions and diversion programs, bail services and statutory supervision of young people in the community and through Parkville and Cherry Creek custodial centres (near the You Yangs).

Members learnt that the most effective prevention strategies for young people at risk of contact with the justice system relate to early intervention and focusing on protective factors such as maintaining a young person's engagement in education.

Julia also explained that Victoria has the lowest number of young people (proportionally) in the youth justice system across Australia, a fact often overlooked in the media reporting, which tends to focus on the bad news stories. Julia has challenged us to look at the crime statistics ourselves, because the number of crimes being committed does not necessarily mean more young people are committing offences. It more likely reflects the activities of a small but very active cohort of recidivist offenders in Victoria.

Thankyou Julia for your presentation.