0008 JCJCAM 2021AM 2021 Annual RAnnual Revieweview AJAN WALKING WITH VULNERABLE YOUTH IN PRISON Pascalia Sergon - AJAN, Capacity Building Officer After a session at the Kamae Borstal institution, I crossed Approved/Rehabilitation Schools, Juvenile Remand Homes, over to an adjacent establishment hosting Youth Borstal Institutions or YCTC, who are serving their Correctional and Training Centre (YCTC) for another sentences or undergoing rehabilitation programs. The first discussion. Both Kamae and YCTC are institutions handling time I heard this phrase was during our visit to the youth in young offenders, girls and boys respectively, located in prison. Among the many questions elicited by the phrase, Nairobi-Kenya. At the end of the session, when the group were, where in the life of a young offender does the went for a roll call, one of the boys, I will call him Qamu, reference come in? Does conflict begin only when it meets came to me and said “mimi niko na jambo ningependa ku-share the law? For question one, it seemed to me that the na wewe” (I have something to share with you). In keeping reference falls at the end point where the young person with the protocol, I requested the prison guard to allow us meets the law. The second is answered by the story of to stand away from others. Qamu continued: “I was brought Qamu. It shows there is conflict with self and others before here yesterday. But, madam, there is something in me that conflict with the law. A further question is, from where do makes me very angry. I don't know what it is. I have a little we begin to address the conflict? For instance, in Justice sister and whenever I see her sad or crying, I feel really bad. Systems, conflict is handled from the tail-end (at the point of Anger builds up in me, and I find myself doing just the wrong conflict with the law). This may explain why responses are things. I haven't seen my father since I was born, I don't more likely to be adversarial than welfare oriented. know the whereabouts of my mother. This thing AJAN’S accompaniment of youth in conflict with the Law bothers me.” In the prison cycles, the phrase ‘children/youth in conflict “To accompany young people in creation of a hope-filled with the law’ is commonly used to refer to young people future” (UAP,2019) is an apostolic goal of Jesuits globally. committed to penal institutions, be they The road is marked with the footsteps of St Ignatius that ought to lead to a new dawn in Christ. The Jesuit