Research has demonstrated that young people are responsible for a disproportionately large amount of crime. 16-24 year olds accounted for 41% of all persons convicted for crimes and offences and 42% of all persons proceeded against in court (1997 figures). They were mainly male. Yet males aged 16-24 comprise only 12% of the total population. For the 16-24 age group there are around 8 times as many convictions for males as for females. In the 8-15 age group around 4 times as many boys as girls are referred to Reporters on offence grounds.
Custodial disposals are expensive. Around £1,120 is spent per child per week on residential care and up to £3000 per week where secure accommodation is involved. Marginal costs for prison places are around £550 per person per week for prison, £490 per person in Polmont Young Offenders Institution. Community-based disposals vary significantly from relatively low-cost supervision requirements to intensive intervention programmes for persistent offenders. An example of the latter is Freagarrach where the costs are less than custody, at around £350 per young person per week.
The vast majority of children under 16 who offend are dealt with by the Children’s Hearings System, Scotland’s unique welfare based approach which addresses the needs of the child. On the whole, the Hearings System is an effective approach for younger children who offend, particularly for the first time. But it is less successful with older, more persistent and serious offenders. The criminal justice system could also deal more effectively with young offenders aged over 16 and the transition between these two systems is too abrupt.
New ways of reducing and stopping youth crime need to be found. The report of the Advisory Group on Youth Crime published today makes a range of specific recommendations based on consultation with a wide range of organisations and the public. Special focus groups were held, including with young people themselves. The Scottish Executive is grateful for the work of the Advisory Group and for the representations made.
The following table sets out the Advisory Group’s main recommendations and the Scottish Executive’s response. The Scottish Executive accepts all the report’s recommendations. Some can be implemented virtually immediately. Others will require more work.
As the Advisory Group highlights at paragraph 16 of its report, there is a range of responses needed to underpin the work with young people who offend. These range from prevention to early intervention, diversion and participation. No single solution will work in isolation. Making sure interventions are effective will lead to a reduction in offending by young people.
The immediate focus is those young people who offend persistently. The Scottish Executive believes that there is sufficient evidence and support for the Advisory Group’s recommendations to start now on the expansion of the programmes envisaged and the local infrastructure to support and direct that activity. However, before developing the national strategy and framework, the Scottish Executive invites views on what it should cover. Comments are also invited on the recommendation that the name of the children’s hearings system be changed.
Comments and views should be sent, not later than Friday 29 September to
Eileen Flanagan
Scottish Executive Education Department
Room 43E
James Craig Walk
EDINBURGH
EH1 3BA
or emailed to eileen.flanagan@scotland.gov.uk . Details of the Advisory Group’s report and the Scottish Executive response are also available on the website www.scotland.gov.uk/youth/crimereview .
Any response you make will be made available to members of the public unless you specifically request for it to be confidential. However, confidential responses will be included in any statistical summary of numbers of comments received and views expressed.
The Scottish Executive
9 June 2000