18/12/2013

The UR Boss Young People's Manifesto

The UR Boss Manifesto has been created by Young People about how the Criminal Justice System needs to change. You can view it here. 

There are many aspects to the manifesto such as education, housing and relationships, but for this blog post I am going to focus on two of the sections: LEGAL AID and IT'S DIFFERENT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS. 

The Legal Aid section says...*


I think this definitely shows perfectly everything I am standing for; I believe that children need to be educated and know their own rights and all about fair treatment within the law. Legal assistance needs to be provided more, as does support: more goes on about children than we really see, and we do need the support! And, yes, we DEFINITELY need more support. 


I can speak from a kinda experience. My dad and my mum had issues when they were splitting up, and we [My mum] used Legal Aid because she didn't know what else she could do and, for want of a better term, she was skint. And now, I am trying to decide whether to change my surname to my stepdad's, which my mum and siblings have. It's hard, and we need the support and the access; justice is something with a really wide definition and people only see the "oh justice means if they're guilty or not in court" side of it sometimes. 

It is a massive assault on justice, the MoJ's plans, as we know; and for young people in prison it is absolutely no different. 

And the IT'S DIFFERENT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS bit says...*


YES! Again. I'm a feminist, and I'm not ashamed of it, and this shows what needs to happen for women in criminal justice and in society in general. On the first point, I can definitely say it's true. Things like this aren't built for girls or women, particularly in pregnancy etc etc. It's VERY different to criminal justice, but I'm going to use a simile of Scouting here. Scouting went unisex in 2007/8 or so, and I love it. We're respected, if teased (I was the first and only girl in my GROUP, and now there is a ratio of 3 of us girls to about 20 of the boys), but little things like some of the activities and the uniform just aren't built for us as, well, young women! 

There is definitely a lack of respect and equality for women in our justice systems, and it's horrible. It needs to change. 


And so, I wholely agree with these parts and the rest of the manifesto created by UR Boss. You should read it, and I'm sure you will also agree. 

Charli 

*screenshots directly from the manifesto. It does not belong to me. 

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