A new book challenged the criminalization of young people s delinquent behaviour, as opposed to treating it as a product of failing social policy in employment, education, and youth culture.
Source: Julia Fionda, Devils and Angels: Youth, policy and crime, Hart Publishing (01865 245533)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Dec
The retired head of the family justice system in England and Wales said that young people who committed crimes should be treated as children at risk and dealt with through the care system, rather than the criminal justice system.
Source: The Guardian, 12 December 2005
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
A report called on the government to urgently review housing legislation, in order to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping among young people who had been in prison.
Source: The Key to the Future?: The housing needs of young adults in prison, Howard League for Penal Reform (020 7249 7373)
Links: Report | HLPR press release
Date: 2005-Dec
An article reported research into young offenders' experiences of restorative justice and social exclusion.
Source: Patricia Gray, 'The politics of risk and young offenders experiences of social exclusion and restorative justice', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 45 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Nov
A report said that jailing offenders under the age of 23 was counterproductive, as it increased the likelihood that they would commit more serious crimes.
Source: Lost in Transition: A Report of the Barrow Cadbury Commission on Young Adults and the Criminal Justice System, Barrow Cadbury Trust (020 7391 9220)
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Nov
The findings were published of a survey of 5,000 people aged 10-25 (in England and Wales) about their involvement in various criminal and delinquent activities.
Source: Tracey Budd, Clare Sharp, Guy Weir, Debbie Wilson and Natalie Owen, Young People and Crime: Findings from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey, Statistical Bulletin 20/05, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Bulletin | CSF press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A study found that more than a third of children aged under 17 issued with anti-social behaviour orders had a diagnosed mental illness or learning difficulty.
Source: Press release 2 November 2005, British Institute for Brain Injured Children (01278 684060)
Links: BIBIC press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A report evaluated the manner in which one Youth Offending Service sought to integrate victims into the referral order process. It said that although victim involvement was time consuming and labour intensive, it was extremely beneficial both to the victims and young offenders.
Source: Adam Crawford and Tom Burden, Integrating Victims in Restorative Youth Justice, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Nov
A report said that a network of secure children's homes should be set up to house a significant minority of the 3,000 juvenile offenders held in child jails in England and Wales.
Source: Strategy for the Secure Estate for Children and Young People: Subtitle, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales/Home Office (020 7271 3033)
Links: Report | YJB press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Nov
A paper examined potential reforms aimed at promoting the future development of the youth justice system.
Source: Children in Trouble Matter, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000) and Association of Directors of Social Services
Links: Discussion paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Oct
A new book examined child deaths in penal custody. It called for the abolition of prison custody for children; a comprehensive review of child deaths in penal custody; and the creation of an independent 'Standing Commission on Custodial Deaths'.
Source: Barry Goldson and Deborah Coles, In the Care of the State?: Child deaths in penal custody in England and Wales, Inquest (020 7263 1111)
Links: Summary | Inquest press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Oct
A report said that there was "room for some optimism" about the effectiveness of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (a community punishment programme to tackle the most hardcore teenage criminals).
Source: Emily Gray et al., Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme: The final report, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (020 7271 3033)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Oct
A report suggested ways in which services could be developed and adapted to meet the needs of young people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system.
Source: Enver Solomon, Lost in Translation: Interim findings from the Revolving Doors Agency Young People's Link Worker schemes, Revolving Doors Agency (020 7242 9222)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Sep
A report by a committee of MSPs reviewed the effectiveness of multi-agency working in the youth justice system, and assessed the impact of gaps in service provision.
Source: Inquiry into Youth Justice, 9th Report 2005, SP Paper 370, Scottish Parliament Justice 2 Committee, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Sep
A briefing paper said that the vast majority of young men in prison would re-offend, due to the government s failure to deal with the needs of young adult offenders.
Source: Finola Farrant, Young, Neglected and Back, Howard League for Penal Reform (020 7249 7373)
Links: Briefing (pdf) | HLPR press release | Community Care report
Date: 2005-Aug
A new book provided a critique of the government's use of the concept of anti-social behaviour, and of youth justice strategy more generally.
Source: Peter Squires and Dawn Stephen, Rougher Justice: Anti-social behaviour and young people, Willan Publishing (01884 840337)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Jul
A discussion paper called for greater investment in support services for young offenders in Scotland.
Source: Including All Our Children, Forensic Mental Health Services Managed Care Network/NHS Scotland (01555 840293)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jul
A survey of public attitudes in Scotland found that people living in deprived areas were more likely to hold negative views about children and young people.
Source: Simon Anderson, Catherine Bromley and Lisa Given, Public Attitudes Towards Young People and Youth Crime in Scotland, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | Summary | Children Now report
Date: 2005-Jul
An inspectorate report examined the progress made by Youth Offending Teams since the publication of a previous report in October 2002.
Source: From Arrest to Sentence: The role of YOTs in the safeguarding of children, HM Inspectorate of Probation (020 7035 2200)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jul
The prisons inspectorate published a digest of its annual surveys of under-18s held in young offender institutions in England and Wales.
Source: Kate Eves, Juveniles in Custody 2003-2004: An analysis of children s experiences of prison, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales (020 7035 2103)
Links: Link removed
Date: 2005-Jul
The High Court ruled that police curfew powers did not allow for the banning of a young person from designated areas by force, irrespective of whether they might be likely to engage in anti-social behaviour.
Source: The Guardian, 21 July 2005
Links: Guardian report | Liberty press release | NCB press release | Community Care report
Date: 2005-Jul
A report examined the experiences of juvenile prisoners in 2003-04. 10 per cent of all the youths surveyed said they had been hit or kicked by a member of staff. Young black males were twice as likely as white youths to be assaulted by prison staff.
Source: Kate Eves, Juveniles in Custody 2003-2004: An analysis of children s experiences of prison, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales (020 7035 2103) and Youth Justice Board
Links: Children Now report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
A report described the "desperate needs" of children in penal custody and on release back into the community, based on the experiences of a legal centre to promote the legal and human rights of individual children in custody.
Source: Children in Custody: Promoting the legal and human rights of children, Howard League for Penal Reform (020 7249 7373)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Jun
A new book examined the lives of a large group of 'disaffected' young people, and considered the impact that involvement in a mentoring programme had on them.
Source: Tim Newburn and Michael Shiner with Tara Young, Dealing with Disaffection: Young people, mentoring and social inclusion, Willan Publishing (01884 840337)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Apr
A report said that the government needed to take urgent action to bring about a cultural change in the way society dealt with children who offended, in order to prevent a further rise in the number of children inappropriately ending up in prison.
Source: A Better Alternative: Reducing child imprisonment, National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (020 7582 6500)
Links: NACRO press release | Young People Now report | Children Now report
Date: 2005-Feb
The second progress report was published on the Positive Futures schemes. The report was principally concerned with the nature and strength of the relationships established with participants, and how these relationships had been sustained. 72 per cent of project partners believed that anti-social behaviour had fallen as a direct result of the schemes. (Positive Futures is a government programme, launched in 2000, designed to provide access to lifestyle, educational and employment opportunities for young people living in the most deprived areas of England and Wales.)
Source: Positive Futures Impact Report: Staying in Touch, Home Office (020 7035 0622)
Links: Report (pdf) | Home Office press release
Date: 2005-Feb
Researchers explored the use and effectiveness of tagging juveniles on bail - in particular the effect on breach of electronically tagging juveniles on bail, and the use of electronic tagging on bail as an alternative to custodial remand for juveniles. In the pilot sample, fewer young people breached their order after being tagged, compared to previous untagged periods on remand: but those who continued to breach did so more often after they were tagged.
Source: Davnet Cassidy, Gemma Harper and Sarah Brown, Understanding Electronic Monitoring of Juveniles on Bail or Remand to Local Authority Accommodation, Online Report 21/05, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A literature review examined services for the prevention of crime and anti-social behaviour among children aged 5-13 (the age group relevant to Children s Fund activities).
Source: David Prior and Alison Paris, Preventing Children's Involvement in Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour: A literature review, Research Report 623, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A report analyzed the one-year reconviction rates for juveniles (those aged 10-17) dealt with by the criminal justice system in 2003, and compared the rates with those recorded for 2000, 2001, 2002 and 1997. The overall actual reconviction rate within one year for juveniles dealt with in the first quarter of 2003 was 36.9 per cent, 0.9 percentage points less than the expected rate of 37.8 per cent.
Source: Juvenile Reconviction: Results from the 2003 cohort, Online Report 08/05, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
The 2003 Crime and Justice Survey (a new national survey covering around 12,000 people aged 10-65 living in private household in England and Wales) found that 29 per cent of young people said they had committed at least one act of anti-social behaviour in the previous year. The most common anti-social behaviour was causing a public disturbance (15 per cent), followed by causing neighbour complaints (13 per cent). More serious incidents such as joyriding and carrying a weapon were much less common. Over a third (35 per cent) of young people aged 10-15 had experienced at least one personal crime in the previous 12 months: this was about the same level as for those aged 16-25 (32 per cent), and well above those aged 26-65 (14 per cent).
Source: Ruth Hayward and Clare Sharp, Young People, Crime and Antisocial Behaviour: Findings from the 2003 Crime and Justice Survey, Research Findings 245, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Martin Wood, The Victimisation of Young People: Findings from the Crime and Justice Survey 2003, Research Findings 246, Home Office
Links: Findings 245 (pdf) | Findings 246 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan
Researchers found that burglary convictions by young males aged 16-18 in areas covered by the education maintenance allowance pilots fell significantly relative to other areas.
Source: Leon Feinstein and Ricardo Sabates, Education and Youth Crime: Effects of introducing the education maintenance allowance programme, Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning/University of London (020 7612 6291)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan
Researchers described early evidence from a national evaluation of the Children s Fund. They said that the Fund had been a major player in initiating cultural change in the development of preventative services in some areas, developing more responsive practice and extending collaborative working.
Source: National Evaluation of the Children s Fund, Prevention and Early Intervention in the Social Inclusion of Children and Young People, Research Report 603, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan
An interim evaluation of a pilot youth conferencing scheme in Northern Ireland (which asked young offenders to meet their victims and agree on a reparation plan) said that almost 9 out of 10 youth crime victims were 'happy' with the outcome and about 1 in 2 young offenders described the scheme as 'very satisfactory'.
Source: Helen Beckett, Catriona Campbell, David O Mahony, John Jackson and Jonathan Doak, Interim Evaluation of the Northern Ireland Youth Conferencing Scheme, Research and Statistical Bulletin 1/2005, Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Report (pdf) | Young People Now report
Date: 2005-Jan
A survey found that risk factors were significantly related to problem behaviour among children aged 4-12, and that multiple interventions with young people and their families were likely to impact positively in reducing risk and the likelihood of offending.
Source: Derrick Armstrong et al., Children, Risk and Crime: The On Track Youth Lifestyles Surveys, Research Study 278, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Study (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan