A transnational research network investigating the unmet language needs of young people in contact with the law, working across disciplines to safeguard youth rights and inform policy and practice across Europe.
Project Title: EU COST Action - Y-JustLang: Justice to Youth Language Needs
Lead Researcher: Professor María J. Arche
Research Centre: Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences (CREL)
Funder: COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) — Action CA22139
Project Duration: 2023 - 2027
Project Value: €499,000 (2023 - 2026); €200,000 (pending 2026-2027)
External Project Website: youthjusticelanguage.org
Project Overview
Y-JustLang is an international research network funded by COST (CA22139) that addresses the language needs of young people in contact with the law. Drawing on expertise across linguistics, law, psychology, social work, and health sciences, the project aims to create a transnational platform to raise awareness and develop knowledge and tools to address the human rights challenges stemming from the lack of policies and appropriate language assessments for young people involved in justice services.
Objectives
The project is structured around three core aims:
- Providing a roadmap to identify the language needs of children in contact with the law across Europe and beyond.
- Developing a blueprint for assessment tools that measure language abilities, adapted to specific languages and legal contexts.
- Raising awareness among stakeholders — including health professionals, police, legal professionals, educators, and children's services — about the importance of early identification of language difficulties.
Outputs and deliverables
Training Schools have been delivered in Zagreb (May 2024), Lisbon (September 2024), Zagreb (December 2024), and Bergen (February 2025), covering topics including linguistic challenges within the criminal justice system, youth justice systems and contexts, and children in conflict with the law.
The project operates through six Working Groups spanning linguistic analysis, screening tool development, epidemiology, legal frameworks, and training and dissemination.
Collaborators
Y-JustLang is a COST Action (CA22139) funded by the European Union and coordinated by María J. Arche (Action Chair) and Josep Quer (Action Vice-Chair). The network is organised across six Working Groups, each led by researchers drawn from member institutions across Europe. The full list of Management Committee members and Working Group membership is available via the COST Action directory at cost.eu/actions/CA22139.
More Information
For full details, working group outputs, and upcoming events, visit the Y-JustLang project website.
