Young people have a tough time when they are on the wrong side of the law.

However, some are able to straighten themselves out. That can be because our criminal justice system works.

A young girl wrote to me following her court case, wanting to assist others who are going through the system. She wrote:

“I am a 19-year-old girl whose life was going close to nowhere.

“A month ago I was sitting in jail preparing myself for the rocky road to a life of nothing.

“I was then given one last opportunity and placed on a Q-merit program and from there I was released from prison and situated at a rehabilitation facility, then within 6 days I had been discharged, then I had a week to either make or break the rest of my life.

“It was either (as I would say in my former life) 'Go hard or go home' or actually try and give myself something I deserve … a life.

“I then tried my best to come up with another facility that would take me, still having the knowledge that I was going back to jail but I couldn’t give up hope because for the first time in 4-5 years I knew I didn’t want that life. I didn’t want to lose more time as I’m young and already lost some of the best years of my life due to crime.

“I then was once again before the magistrate and I had previously had this magistrate in a lot of my former court appearances.

“Then instead of the magistrate sending me back to jail he gave me a chance to see if I was worth keeping out of jail and not only did that magistrate give me a chance but gave me an opportunity to prove that I can live a life and not an existence.

“I thank him and I realise that I need to take responsibility for myself.”

It’s great to hear that giving someone a chance can have such a big impact.