Youth Justice Board News

The government is investing two million pounds into point of arrest liaison and diversion schemes for youth justice across England.

As part of the Government´s ongoing project to reduce the number of websites it provides, the YJB website is closing on 4 April.

Young women who offend in Nottinghamshire are being helped back on to the right track by a specially designed, crime-busting programme.

The statistics show that since 2000 the overall proportion of young offenders who reoffended dropped by 3.3 percentage points from 40.2 per cent to 36.9 per cent. Between 2008 and 2009 it decreased by 0.4 percentage points from 37.3 per cent to 36.9 per cent.

As part of the Government´s ongoing project to reduce the number of websites it provides, the YJB website is closing on 31 March.

The future of the youth justice system was in the spotlight when the chief executive of the YJB addressed a national conference in London.

The routine use of full searches will stop across the secure estate, there will be a review of the criteria used to separate young people in custody to manage problems that arise, complaints will be handled more fairly and effectively and work will be undertaken with the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Samaritans to improve the young people’s access to helpline services.

Frances Done, chair of the YJB, was impressed by the ground-breaking work helping young people turn their backs on crime, while visiting Kent Youth Offending Service.

Proven offences by young people in the North East fell by nearly 30 per cent last year, according to the latest government statistics.