I INTRODUCTION | II “CHILDREN”, “YOUNG PEOPLE” AND “JUVENILES” | III KEY PRINCIPLES FOR DEALING WITH CHILD OFFENDERS | IV A PRINCIPLED APPROACH TO CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW | V ASKING THE HARD QUESTIONS | VI CONCLUSION | APPENDIX

III KEY PRINCIPLES FOR DEALING WITH CHILD OFFENDERS

This paper seeks to introduce issues and principles of universal importance about dealing with children in conflict with the law - albeit from a New Zealand perspective. It is not fundamentally about the New Zealand youth justice system that deals with child offenders (10 to 13 year olds inclusive) and young people (14 to 16 year olds inclusive). A detailed description of the New Zealand system and environment is available in the Appendix. Rather the intent of this paper is to raise principles and issues of universal importance that should challenge all countries in the way they deal with children who offend. But the writers’ recognise that even this exercise will be coloured by their experience of the New Zealand approach to child offending.