Making a Difference: Youth Justice Language Barriers and Courtroom Online Evidence

Children with language needs make up 10% of the general population, but are represented in 65% of the children within the youth justice system. This means that children in conflict with the law are over 6 times more likely to have language needs then those outside of the system. This invisible and under-researched disadvantage has significant impact on their comprehension of legal processes and criminal justice procedures, leading to potential infringements of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. An EU funded cross Europe research network (COST Action CA22139 - Justice to youth language needs: human rights undermined by an invisible disadvantage) has been working together to understanding the context of this problem and to advise and promote policy change in youth justice systems. Dr Elaine Williams will present some of the key findings and initiatives from this work, and share knowledge gained through this collaborative project.

How do online posts become courtroom evidence? This talk explores how social media, videos, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) are used to investigate alleged war crimes. Through a student-led project, discover how digital traces are verified, analysed, and used in legal contexts, and the challenges of truth in the digital age. Join us to discuss how online clicks become courtroom proof, and what risks, from misinformation to AI manipulation, shape what we trust as truth?

Content warning: This talk discusses war crimes investigations, armed conflict, violence against civilians and humanitarian workers. It may reference distressing material from conflict zones. Audience members may be invited to participate in an interactive exercise examining how investigators assess digital evidence. No graphic imagery will be shown.