This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Hamilton to host first Youth Court
27/01/2003
The country's first youth court will be set up in
Hamilton this Spring, Ministers announced today.
The model will have three distinctive features:
- A fast track process to deal with the young
offenders
- A group of designated sheriffs for the youth
court
- Disposals specially designed for the young offender
age group
Announcing the two year pilot, Justice Minister Jim
Wallace said:
"Tackling the problem of persistent young offenders,
making our communities safer and at the same time improving
the effectiveness of the system has been the focus of our
work on youth justice issues this Parliament. Piloting the
youth court is the next step in this agenda.
"The youth court is not just about punishment - although
appropriate punishment is certainly is a major component -
it's also about addressing the problems that lead some
young people to offend in the first place.
"The Executive and the agencies involved with the youth
court in Hamilton share a common commitment. This is to
deal more effectively with the small group of young people
who persistently offend, to stop them re-offending, and as
a result give respite to their victims and the community in
which they live.
"Youth crime poses us a challenge but the youth court
proposals which I am announcing today make it a challenge
which I believe we can successfully take on."
The decision to pilot the scheme in Hamilton relates to
growing concern about youth crime in Scotland and comes on
the back of the Executive's 10-point action plan for youth
crime announced in June 2002.
The pilot will target persistent young offenders in the
16-17 year-old age groups with the flexibility to deal with
15-year-olds in certain circumstances.
The fast-track process will ensure young offenders are
brought to court quickly. The proposal is that - other than
in exceptional cases - prospective youth court offenders
should make their first appearance in court within ten days
from the date of charge - a shorter period than the current
system provides for.
The group of sheriffs sitting in the youth court will
provide supervision of every young offender made the
subject of a youth court order.
The court will also have access to:
- a broader and more intensive range of community
programmes than currently exist
- services which can tackle the social problems which
might lead these young people to re-offend
- enhanced intervention programmes specifically
targeted at the young offender age group
The Executive is providing the additional resources
necessary to support the work of the youth court in
Hamilton, covering police, social work, courts service,
legal aid prosecution service and evaluation costs.
The Youth Court Feasibility Group, Chaired by Sheriff
John McInnes QC, reported to the Deputy First Minister Jim
Wallace at the end of December 2002.
It concluded that the establishment of a pilot youth
court was feasible under existing primary legislation.