This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Youth Court said to be 'effective'
09/07/2004
The pilot Youth Court running in Hamilton Sheriff Court
is working well, according to a report by university
researchers.
The report, published today by the University of
Stirling, has found that 'there was almost universal
agreement that the early phase of the pilot was working
effectively'.
In particular one of the main strengths was found to be
the fast-track process, where offenders appear in court
generally no later than ten days after charge.
The pilot Youth Court was introduced in Hamilton Sheriff
Court in June 2003 and is targeted at alleged offenders
aged 16 and 17 years who are resident in North and South
Lanarkshire and who have had three separate incidents of
offending in the previous six months. Between June and
December 2003 a total of 147 referrals were made.
The research found that, because of the fast track
process and the rolling up of all offences under one
complaint, most young offenders referred to the Youth Court
were tendering early guilty pleas and taking responsibility
for their actions. T
he pilot was extended to Airdrie Sheriff Court last
month to test the effectiveness of the Youth Court approach
on a wider basis.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"Tackling youth crime effectively requires a range of
different approaches. We introduced the Youth Court pilot
to deal with a particular group of offenders - to deal with
them swiftly and to provide some respite for their
beleaguered communities. Today's report shows that it has
made a promising start, that it is dealing with offenders
quickly and that offenders are more readily taking
responsibility for their actions.
"I am particularly pleased to see the widespread support
for the objectives of the Youth Court and the constructive
way in which the different agencies are working
together.
"As would be expected, the first few months of the
project has revealed areas for improvement but the benefit
of a pilot scheme is that refinements can be made,
procedures improved and lessons learned without impacting
greatly on the operation of the Court. And it was because
we wanted to see if there were wider lessons to be learned
that we extended the pilot to cover Airdrie from last
month.
"Last month also saw the first anniversary of the Youth
Court at Hamilton and while it is still too early to
properly evaluate its effectiveness in reducing
re-offending, today's report suggests that the structure is
sound. This is largely due to all those involved -
including the Hamilton Sheriffs - who have committed to the
Youth Court from day one.
"If it also proves it is making a significant
contribution to delivering a safer, stronger Scotland we
will not hesitate to consider extending its coverage to
other parts of the country."
The objectives of the pilot Youth Court are to:
- reduce the frequency and seriousness of offending
by 16 and 17 year olds (and some 15 year olds) through
targeted and prompt disposals with judicial supervision
and continuing social work involvement
- promote the social inclusion, citizenship and
personal responsibility of the young offenders while
maximising their potential
- establish fast-track procedures for those young
offenders appearing before the Youth Court
- enhance community safety by reducing the harm
caused to victims of crime and provide respite to those
communities which are experiencing high levels of
crime
- examine the viability and effectiveness of existing
legislation in servicing a Youth Court and to identify
whether legislative and other changes may be
required