Sentamu & YMCA Host Youth Justice Seminar at Lambeth Palace

The Archbishop of York, the Rt. Rev John Sentamu, President of the YMCA, will host a youth justice seminar, allowing young ex-offenders to share their experiences of the criminal justice system with policy makers at Lambeth Palace on Tuesday 12 June 2007.

|PIC1|The special seminar organised by the YMCA will feature young people from YMCAs in Leicester, Southampton, Nottingham and Norfolk who will lead the discussions and share their experiences of custody and the criminal justice system.

The Rt. Revd John Sentamu, Archbishop of York has said, "Hearing the stories that these young people tell about themselves, I know there is hope for them. We need to give these young people - and others like them - more opportunity to talk, to contribute and to belong to a future that offers them more stability than they have experienced in the past. We need a system that will support their development for the future more than punish their past offences."

Courtney Isaac, a resident at YMCA Leicester who is participating in the seminar said: "Not many people get the chance to tell their story and have people listen to them and understand what people of my age are going through. I hope my experience will change people's opinions and views on offenders and the homeless.

"Not all of us commit crime because we want to, it's because we have to, to get by in life. It's easy for people to judge, but I would like them to place themselves in my life and position and see what would happen to them."

The YMCA has said it is committed to ensuring more attention is given to the personal and social development opportunities available to young people whilst in custody so that when they leave, they are able to make a valuable contribution to their local communities and wider society.

It also wants to encourage the Government to give special attention to young people aged between 16-25, just as the Youth Justice Board does for those 18 and under.

Angela Sarkis, National Secretary of the YMCA says: "We work with vulnerable young people whilst they are in prison and support them upon their release. Our programmes pay attention to young people as adolescents and have proved very effective in teaching ex-offenders life skills, and helping them to find work and a place to stay.

"We hope that by bringing young ex-offenders and policy makers together, and by treating both as experts, this will make renewed calls for change within the youth justice system and that new ways are found to address the 'problem' behaviour of some young people."