Children's services leaders call for restorative justice focus
Neil Puffett
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Young offenders should be dealt with through restorative justice processes rather than custodial sentences, children's services leaders have said.
In a submission to the ongoing review of youth justice being conducted by Charlie Taylor, the Association of Director’s of Children’s Services said there is “limited evidence that shorter custodial sentences are an effective intervention”.
“Approximately three-quarters of the children who have served a custodial sentence go on to reoffend, suggesting that this is not an effective rehabilitation strategy,” the submission states.
“ADCS believes that a statutory presumption of community resolutions and restorative practices should be introduced in all cases that do not involve the most serious offending behaviours.”
The submission states that restorative conferencing, whereby children and young people who have offended are encouraged to confront the consequences of their actions, has been used for many years in Northern Ireland. This has resulted in reductions in reoffending, higher rates of compliance with conference plans, significant victim satisfaction levels and the use of fewer custodial sentences.
“While the development of a restorative model would require a significant upfront investment, there are parallels with the government’s flagship Troubled Families Programme,” the submission adds.
“The total savings to the public purse could be very significant in the longer term and there are other benefits too; adopting a presumption of restorative processes would effectively end the long-running debate about the age of criminal responsibility in this country.
“When taking a restorative approach one of the first actions would be to determine, in each case, whether the child or young person understood, in real time, the consequences of their actions. ADCS would welcome further discussions on this matter.”
The ADCS also warns that strong oversight will be necessary if the government pushes ahead with plans to create so-called “secure academies”, as outlined by Charlie Taylor in his interim report published in February.
"ADCS members are unsure if free schools and multi-academy trust arrangements are suited to this task or sufficiently robust at this time," the submission adds.
The review of the youth justice system was ordered by Justice Secretary Michael Gove in September 2015. The final report is due to be published in July.
