Aika Stephenson

Aika Stephenson is a leading British youth justice expert and the author of In Their Defence: Fighting for Youth Justice One Child at a Time (2024). She co-founded the charity Just for Kids Law in 2006, focusing on providing legal representation to young people and advocating for systemic reform.

Raised between Luton and Somerset by her Jamaican father and British mother, Aika experienced a turbulent childhood that inspired her to pursue a legal career focused on social justice. Reflecting on her early life, she said, "It was when I was seven that dad first went to prison. I can’t remember the reason, but it was to be the start of a period of his life when he was in and out of life in jail."

She further added, "I developed a negative view of the police from a young age, watching the interactions when my dad was stopped when we were out and about. We would visit him in prison, and while I didn’t fully understand it, I knew he was being kept there against his will."

After studying at BPP Law School and completing her Legal Practice Course, Stephenson briefly worked at a corporate law firm before venturing into youth justice. She began as an Advocate for the Children’s Society at Feltham Young Offenders Institute before joining the Westminster Youth Offending Team.

Now, Aika is the Legal Director of Just for Kids Law. She leads the legal team and represents young people in the criminal justice process.

Aika won the prestigious Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year award at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the 2018 Year Awards. She also serves as a Director of the Youth Justice Legal Centre. She has used the Modern Slavery Act to help young people exploited by gangs.

Her book, In Their Defence, draws on real-life cases to expose the systemic failures impacting youth in the legal system. She says, "Very few people truly understand the law that dictates the lives of our young people, and I want to share that with the public." The book addresses a range of issues, from playground mischief to immigration challenges, shedding light on the journeys of youth from the police station to young offenders’ institutions

Aika Stephenson lives in London.

Photo credit: www.justforkidslaw.org