Debate contribution: Justice Bill: Consideration Stage
Debate contribution by Ms Aoife Finnegan on .
- MLA
- Ms Aoife Finnegan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 2 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Justice Bill: Consideration Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5584969
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Sinn Féin is pleased to support amendment Nos 41 to 43. We appreciate the extensive work undertaken by the Justice Committee throughout its scrutiny of the Bill. The amendments arose directly from evidence presented to the Committee by organisations that work with children, young people and vulnerable adults. Their message was consistent and compelling: vulnerabilities must be explicitly recognised in the framework of the legislation if we are serious about delivering a fair and effective justice system. The justice system does not operate in a vacuum. The individuals who come into contact with it often carry experiences such as trauma, poverty, exploitation, addiction, mental ill health, adverse childhood experiences and learning difficulties. Those realities can have a profound impact on behaviour, decision-making and engagement with justice processes. Witnesses repeatedly highlighted that vulnerabilities are not always visible and cannot be assumed to be understood by public authorities; instead, they need to be actively recognised and taken into account. The Committee heard evidence from organisations that work directly with children and young people every day. They spoke about the importance of ensuring that public authorities are equipped to identify vulnerabilities and to respond appropriately. They also highlighted the need for a trauma-informed approach that understands behaviour in the wider context of a person's experiences and circumstances. The amendments help achieve that objective. Importantly, recognising vulnerabilities does not remove accountability or diminish responsibility; rather, it allows interventions to be tailored in such a way that they are more likely to achieve positive outcomes and reduce the likelihood of future harm. We particularly welcome the amendments because they reinforce the child-centred ethos that runs through the Bill. Children and young people are not just smaller adults: their developmental needs, maturity and life experiences must be considered separately. The Committee carefully examined the evidence before making the recommendations, and we believe that the amendments will improve the legislation considerably. For those reasons, Sinn Féin will support amendment Nos 41 to 43.
326 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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