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Why were we established?
1.In November 1999 the Scottish Cabinet held a Strategy Session which focussed on issues relating to Youth Crime in Scotland. As a result of the Cabinet's considerations a Review of Youth Crime was commissioned and started work in December under the aegis of an Advisory Group. Details of the composition of the Group are set out in Annex A.
What were we charged to do?
2. The Group's remit was to:
How did we undertake this task?
3. We held 4 meetings between December 1999 and March 2000. We launched a consultation exercise on youth crime matters which elicited almost 300 responses, many from children and young people themselves. We also held Focus Groups with young people and Reporters from the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration to discuss matters of relevance to the Review. Annex B sets out some of the themes which emerged from the consultation exercise and our own discussions. In addition COSLA/NCH held a conference in November on youth crime followed by 2 Think Tank meetings in January and February. Many of the Advisory Group attended these Think Tanks and their findings have helped inform this report.
4. In our work we have taken account of the range of actual and planned universal and targeted health, social work, education and social inclusion initiatives aimed at children, young people and their families. Our recommendations seek to complement and build on these early intervention, preventative measures. They also seek to ensure that the deeds as well as the needs of children and young people who offend are addressed, including the impact on victims and communities.
Who are persistent offenders?
5. For the purposes of the Review persistent offending has been defined as offending behaviour which is more than occasional or transitory in nature. What we know about the children and young people who are frequently caught and charged with offences is that they are more likely than their peers to have experienced social and educational deficits in their childhood, to be victims of offences themselves, to experience problems with drugs and alcohol and to have had greater difficulties in responding to the challenges of adult life. Within the Hearings system we estimate that each year between 1,000 and 1,200 young people would come broadly within this category. In 1998 over 11,500 young people below the age of 18 were dealt with by the adult courts, 179 of them below the age of 16. Many of these would be persistent offenders. Of these almost 9,200 had charges proved in summary proceedings compared with just over 300 in solemn proceedings. 1,225 received a custodial sentence.
What were our objectives?
6. We identified the following core objectives:
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