Youthlaw’s Policy
Read our Youthlaw Policy Platform to find out more about the causes we advocate for.
Victorian Election 2026
Read more about our 2026 Election Asks.
Smart Justice for Young People
Smart Justice for Young People (SJ4YP)) is a coalition of organisations committed to building a Victoria where all children and young people are given the support they need to thrive, no matter who they are or where they live. Established Youthlaw in 2011, the SJ4YP coalition was founded to create a platform where organisations could jointly advocate on issues of shared concern.
In 2023, the coalition released ‘Working Together’, Smart Justice for Young People’s action plan to end the over-representation of particular groups of young people in the criminal justice system, which was co-developed by members of the ‘Ending Over-representation’ working group, and formally endorsed by 23 coalition organisations and individual members. The coalition has since expanded to include 50 organisations, and is jointly coordinated by Youthlaw, Westjustice, the Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ), Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic), Federation of Community Legal Centres (FCLC), and Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS).
Follow SJ4YP on Instagram, and visit the website to learn more about the coalition and stay up to date with its work.
You can find some of the work SJ4YP does below:
- SJ4YP’s Response to the Inquiry into Victoria’s Criminal Justice System
- SJ4YP Key Priorities for the Victorian State Election 2022
- SJ4YP’s Letter to the Attorney-General About Implementation of OPCAT 2023
Campaigns
Youthlaw’s current campaigns include:
Media Enquiries
For all media enquiries contact:
Casey Dean
Media and Communications Lead