The Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Increased funding for youth justice

14/08/2003

Executive funding to tackle youth crime in Scotland will increase by 50 per cent over the next two years.

That's according to the Justice Minister, Cathy Jamieson, who welcomed the progress being made by local authorities and their partners to develop services that give young people every opportunity to stop offending.

She confirmed that local authorities will receive an increase in funding for youth justice services from £10 million pounds to £15 million by 2005-06 to step up their work.

Youth justice strategic teams have been in place across Scotland for over 18 months. A report detailing the progress of local authority youth justice teams is published on the Executive's Childrens Hearings website.

Cathy Jamieson commented:

"Youth crime and anti-social behaviour is a complex and serious problem across Scotland. However, one thing is clear - our communities have had enough of it.

"There is no single solution to tackling and reducing youth crime. That is why the Scottish Executive is already providing funding for a range of local measures - from prevention and early intervention programmes to the most intensive and robust methods of supervision.

"Our approach to tackling youth crime is governed not by dogma but by supporting what can be shown to work - projects that reduce re-offending by addressing its causes and effects, and supporting the victims of youth crime.

"First, we have taken significant steps to tackle the misery caused by a small number of persistent young offenders. We know that the most persistent eight per cent of offenders cause 33 per cent of crime in communities. There has already been a significant increase in the number and range of services and programmes to tackle persistent youth crime. This year there are 1,250 places available to work with young people already involved in offending, in addition to the three fast-track hearings pilots, and the progress made by the pilot youth court in South Lanarkshire.

"The increased investment over the next two years will help local authorities achieve a range of national targets in youth justice - including reducing the number of these persistent young offenders in Scotland by 10 per cent.

"Progress is also being made in other areas. In 2001 less than half of Scotland's authorities had a restorative youth justice programme. Today we have funded over 3,000 places on such programmes across Scotland.

"Youth justice teams and partners now also provide 1,100 early intervention and preventative programmes, 480 anger management places, 200 places to tackle car crime, 70 places specifically for young women, 250 places on alcohol programmes and 300 drug programmes nationally. Professionals are increasingly trained in, and using, research-based methods for assessing the risk of someone re-offending so they can plan supervision accordingly.

"All this is progress and it shows that local youth justice teams are working hard to develop services that give young people every opportunity to stop offending and take up positive alternatives.

"This local work, together with the national initiatives that are underway and our plans to confront anti-social behaviour, provide us with a great opportunity to improve the quality of life in Scotland's communities.

"Protecting the public, punishing criminals, but also offering a chance to change to those who would benefit from it. A safer, stronger Scotland with increasing opportunities for everyone - including young people themselves."

An update on progress made by Scotland's 32 youth justice teams in reducing offending among young people is available on the Executive's Childrens Hearings website.

Members of the public, children's panel members and professionals can now access information on the range of activities being supported by the Scottish Executive in the fight against youth crime.

Cathy Jamieson launched the national standards for Scotland's youth justice services on December 19 2002.

Youth justice strategic teams and services are primarily funded by the Executive's education department. The overall funding for today's announcement was contained in the Scottish Budget 2003-06 and confirmed to local authorities today.

YOUTH JUSTICE GAE FUNDING - ALLOCATIONS 2003-04 TO 2005-06