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Summary
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The Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 (NZ) reforms the law relating to children and young persons who are in need of care or protection or who offend against the law. It departs from a traditional criminal justice approach by focusing less on punishment and more on "putting things right" between the offender and the victim. Since its enactment, there has been a 46 per cent decrease in the number of offenses in the 17 to 20-year age group. The success of the reform has been reinforced by the enthusiastic approval of Youth Court workers, Youth Court judges, the police, youth advocates and even victims and offenders.
