Young Women’s Justice Project
The ‘Young Women’s Justice Project’ is delivered in partnership between the Alliance for Youth Justice and Agenda Alliance. The project aims to shine a light on the experiences of girls and young women aged 17–25 in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS), including those of 17 year-old girls as they transition into adult services. Consistently overlooked in policy, there is a limited evidence-base around their experiences in the CJS and, despite pockets of good practice, limited provision designed to meet their needs.
The project will engage with young women, front-line practitioners, and other experts, over two years with the aim of:
Building a strong and credible evidence base about the needs of girls and young women in contact with the CJS;
Influencing government policy and strategies to take account of younger women, with a focus on Black Asian and minority ethnic and care experienced girls and young women;
Enabling the development of effective practice through more gender and age-informed policy;
Empowering girls and young women as advocates to safely share their experiences and use their voices to make change.
The project is funded by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales to help us make a positive impact on policy and practice for girls and young women in contact with the CJS.
Advisory Group
The Young Women’s Justice Project is guided by an Advisory Group, bringing together a fantastic breadth and depth of expertise and experience. This includes:
Abi Billinghurst – Chief Executive, Abianda
Ebinehita Iyere – Founder, Milk & Honey
Chris Leeson – Director, The GriffinsSociety
Caroline Howe – Policy & National Programmes Manager, Lloyds Bank Foundation
Frances Crook – Chief Executive, Howard League
Florence Eshalomi – MP for Vauxhall
Dr Jenny Lloyd – Senior Research Fellow, University of Bedfordshire
Judith Denton – Chief Executive, The Transformed You
Dr Kate Paradine – Chief Executive, Women in Prison
Keith Fraser – Chair, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales
Laurie Hunte – Criminal Justice Programme Manager, Barrow Cadbury Trust
Lesley Tregear – AYJ board member
Sonali Naik QC – Garden Court Chambers
Nazir Afzal OBE
Niki Scordi – Chief Executive, Advance
Zubaida Haque
