12:01AM GMT 20 Jan 2008
Violent crime carried out by children and teenagers has gone up by a third in only three years, it can be disclosed.
The number of under-18s convicted or cautioned over violent offences rose from 17,590 to 24,102 - an increase of 37 per cent.
The evidence of rising youth offending comes amid public concern over youth crime following the murder of Garry Newlove, a father of three who was beaten to death as he stood up to a street gang.
Three teenagers were convicted of the crime last week amid revelations that the gang leader and repeat violent offender Adam Swellings, 18 at the time, had been freed on bail only hours before the killing. Helen Newlove, the victim's widow, said: "For too long, young thugs have got away with a slap on the wrist."
Three teenagers were convicted of the crime last week amid revelations that the gang leader and repeat violent offender Adam Swellings, 18 at the time, had been freed on bail only hours before the killing. Helen Newlove, the victim's widow, said: "For too long, young thugs have got away with a slap on the wrist."
The youth crime statistics, uncovered by The Sunday Telegraph within Ministry of Justice reports, relate to offenders aged 10 to 17 who were either convicted in court or issued with a police caution. Total offences climbed steadily from 184,474 in 2003 to 222,750 in 2006, the last year for which figures are available - a rise of 21 per cent. But the increase in violent offending was steeper, while robberies rose even more dramatically, up 43 per cent over the three years. By contrast, adult convictions and cautions increased by less than one per cent.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1020870/Decade-long-650million-push-cut-youth-crime-measurable-impact.html
Last updated at 9:50 AM on 21st May 2008
The Government's justice reforms have had "no measurable impact" on youth crime, a study claims.
The report by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) at King's College London said most youth justice targets had been missed - despite a 45% increase in spending since 2000.
Criminologists assessed the impact of reforms since the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act set up the Youth Justice Board (YJB) - a quango overseeing the way young criminals are punished - and youth offending teams in England and Wales.
The YJB said an official independent audit showed the reforms had delivered big improvements.
But in the review of the £650m system, the CCJS said the government's claims of success had been over-stated.
The independent study said: "Targets have been missed with self-reported youth offending remaining stable.
"All the expenditure and activity to reduce youth crime has had no measurable impact."
It added: "Claims of significant success are overstated."
But targets on reducing re-offending have all been missed, with latest figures showing "little progress".
"The Government has been beset with problems in setting, revising and failing to hit its reconviction targets for children," it added.
Targets on providing accommodation, education, training and employment, reducing substance misuse and improving mental health had also slipped.
CCJS director Richard Garside said: "The Government's decade-long youth justice experiment was a bold attempt to deploy the full force of the youth justice system to tackle problematic and disruptive behaviour by young people.
"This new research suggests that the experiment has largely failed, if reported youth offending is the measure of success.
"As the Government continues to explore ways to control public spending this research suggests that ever growing criminal justice budgets are unlikely to deliver the long-term or sustainable success."
Enver Solomon, co-author of the CCJS report, said the findings suggested the multi-agency youth offending teams were not necessarily working.
Solomon said: "The Government's record on youth crime and tackling the multiple needs of children caught up in the youth justice system is less impressive than many would have expected following a wide-ranging programme of reform and substantial investment.
"This raises questions about the success of the reforms in making an impact on the number of children and young people who offend, and demonstrates that the youth justice agencies can do little more than regulate youth crime.
"The Government has placed too high expectations on the youth justice system and should be clearer about its limitations."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The Government is committed to tackling youth offending and reducing its impact on communities by intervening early with young people to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.
"Much has been achieved in tackling youth crime. Reoffending among juveniles fell by more than 17% between 2000 and 2005 and overall youth offending levels remain stable.
"However, there is clearly more work to do and we are pushing forward our efforts to reduce re-offending further, including by launching a Youth Crime Action Plan this summer.
"Long-term, sustainable reductions in re-offending by children and young people require parents and carers, the community, local agencies and young people themselves to work in partnership to tackle the risk factors associated with offending."
Rod Morgan, who resigned as head of the Youth Justice Board last year, said the study's findings were "almost incontrovertible" in showing that the Government had directed too much money towards the youth justice system and too little towards dealing with the social problems which push young people into crime.
Mr Morgan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I agree whole-heartedly with the King's College report that the centre of gravity of spending is distorted. It is precisely some of the trends they are talking about - the increased used of criminalisation, the number of youths we have in custody - that led me to resign.
"If we are serious about preventing youth crime, it has something to do with the youth justice system, but it has much more to do with broader social policies relating to the family, relating to education and housing.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1020870/Decade-long-650million-push-cut-youth-crime-measurable-impact.html#ixzz1dOy07tyE
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1020870/Decade-long-650million-push-cut-youth-crime-measurable-impact.html
Decade long £650million push to cut youth crime has had 'no measurable impact'
By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 9:50 AM on 21st May 2008
Government reforms appear to have done little to reduce the number of children and young people who offend (posed by models)
The report by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) at King's College London said most youth justice targets had been missed - despite a 45% increase in spending since 2000.
Criminologists assessed the impact of reforms since the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act set up the Youth Justice Board (YJB) - a quango overseeing the way young criminals are punished - and youth offending teams in England and Wales.
The YJB said an official independent audit showed the reforms had delivered big improvements.
But in the review of the £650m system, the CCJS said the government's claims of success had been over-stated.
The independent study said: "Targets have been missed with self-reported youth offending remaining stable.
"All the expenditure and activity to reduce youth crime has had no measurable impact."
It added: "Claims of significant success are overstated."
But targets on reducing re-offending have all been missed, with latest figures showing "little progress".
"The Government has been beset with problems in setting, revising and failing to hit its reconviction targets for children," it added.
Targets on providing accommodation, education, training and employment, reducing substance misuse and improving mental health had also slipped.
CCJS director Richard Garside said: "The Government's decade-long youth justice experiment was a bold attempt to deploy the full force of the youth justice system to tackle problematic and disruptive behaviour by young people.
"This new research suggests that the experiment has largely failed, if reported youth offending is the measure of success.
"As the Government continues to explore ways to control public spending this research suggests that ever growing criminal justice budgets are unlikely to deliver the long-term or sustainable success."
Enver Solomon, co-author of the CCJS report, said the findings suggested the multi-agency youth offending teams were not necessarily working.
Solomon said: "The Government's record on youth crime and tackling the multiple needs of children caught up in the youth justice system is less impressive than many would have expected following a wide-ranging programme of reform and substantial investment.
"This raises questions about the success of the reforms in making an impact on the number of children and young people who offend, and demonstrates that the youth justice agencies can do little more than regulate youth crime.
"The Government has placed too high expectations on the youth justice system and should be clearer about its limitations."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The Government is committed to tackling youth offending and reducing its impact on communities by intervening early with young people to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.
"Much has been achieved in tackling youth crime. Reoffending among juveniles fell by more than 17% between 2000 and 2005 and overall youth offending levels remain stable.
"However, there is clearly more work to do and we are pushing forward our efforts to reduce re-offending further, including by launching a Youth Crime Action Plan this summer.
"Long-term, sustainable reductions in re-offending by children and young people require parents and carers, the community, local agencies and young people themselves to work in partnership to tackle the risk factors associated with offending."
Rod Morgan, who resigned as head of the Youth Justice Board last year, said the study's findings were "almost incontrovertible" in showing that the Government had directed too much money towards the youth justice system and too little towards dealing with the social problems which push young people into crime.
Mr Morgan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I agree whole-heartedly with the King's College report that the centre of gravity of spending is distorted. It is precisely some of the trends they are talking about - the increased used of criminalisation, the number of youths we have in custody - that led me to resign.
"If we are serious about preventing youth crime, it has something to do with the youth justice system, but it has much more to do with broader social policies relating to the family, relating to education and housing.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1020870/Decade-long-650million-push-cut-youth-crime-measurable-impact.html#ixzz1dOy07tyE
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