How to reduce youth crime

Over a million crimes committed by 10 17 year olds

2009/10 (most recent Home Office figures)

Frightening Figures

They say

The law is too soft on Demonising Teens People want answers

People want answersPeople want to feel safePeople want justice

Your ChallengeJustice must be seen to be doneJustice must be effectiveJustice must be just

The public want prison but is this effective justice?

Yes, we need prison but for every criminal?For every crime?

Is Prison Working? Is Prison Working?73% of young offenders reoffend within a year of leaving custody

Is Prison Cost-effective? Is Prison Cost-effective?Total UK cost of youth imprisonment totals 4 billion annually.

Prison = 42,493 pa per child

Eton = 32,067 pa per child

So

Crime rates are highReoffending rates are highCosts are high

Is prison the answer?

Is Prison The Answer For Him?

Villain or Victim?

Villain or Victim?50% have experienced time in care

Villain or Victim?50% have experienced time in care

31% have a recognised mental health disorder

Villain or Victim?50% have experienced time in care

31% have a recognised mental health disorder

19% suffer from depression

Villain or Victim?50% have experienced time in care

31% have a recognised mental health disorder

19% suffer from depression

25% have a statement of Special Educational Needs

Villain or Victim?50% have experienced time in care

31% have a recognised mental health disorder

19% suffer from depression

25% have a statement of Special Educational Needs

88% have been excluded from school

Prison Education?

I got used to itlearned how to weigh up drugs and sell them, how to make a profit on them, I learned car theft. Ive learned how to fight in jail.Jason, 15 Prison Education?

I got used to itlearned how to weigh up drugs and sell them, how to make a profit on them, I learned car theft. Ive learned how to fight in jail.Armed with these skills, around three in four children will reoffend within a year of release.Jason, 15 Prison Care?

Everything is a blur. Honestly, I do think that I wont be able to cope if I dwell on my future. It drains you. It stresses you. I dont like to talk about it.Ahmed, 16 Prison Care?

Everything is a blur. Honestly, I do think that I wont be able to cope if I dwell on my future. It drains you. It stresses you. I dont like to talk about it.Prison is a place of fear and paranoia Junior Smart (SOS Project)Ahmed, 16

Remember hes still a child

Rational or Reckless?Adolescents are capable of rational decisions -

HOWEVER

The pre-frontal cortex of adolescent brains is immature, so putting on the brakes in emotionally charged situations loses out to pumping on the accelerator.

Rayna and Farley 2006 cited in Casey et al (2011) Rehabilitation or Resistance

What Does Prison Achieve?It removes powerIt demands acquiescenceIt diminishes peer group status

Rehabilitation or Resistance

What Does Prison Achieve?It removes powerIt demands acquiescenceIt diminishes peer group status

The result - sullen obeisance

A Good Result?

A Good Result?Sullen obeisance becomes heroic resistance

There must be something better We all want a solution that works

We all want a solution that worksWe all want youth with a future

We all want a solution that worksWe all want youth with a futureEach one of us wants justice for all

Is Restorative Justice an Answer?A first line of defence against crime

The most cost-effective defence against crime

Ensures the individual victim is not alone and not forgotten

Restorative Justice Recent studies have shown that the three stages of Restorative Justice provide an unrivalled opportunity for growth and rehabilitation to both perpetrator and victim

ReconciliationVictim and offender meet for mutual condemnation of the criminal act and the preservation of human dignity

ReconciliationVictim and offender meet for mutual condemnation of the criminal act and the preservation of human dignityReparationOffender takes responsibility for his crime through mutual agreement of penance

ReconciliationVictim and offender meet for mutual condemnation of the criminal act and the preservation of human dignityReparationOffender takes responsibility for his crime through mutual agreement of penanceTransformationIndividuals and communities concerned experience liberationfrom the conditions that perpetuate the cycle of violenceand aggression

Lawson and Katz (2004 p. 177-178)

Henrys StoryIt was terrifying doing it, going in to face the music - actually facing her.

She was the one I stole from. It went right to my guts. I knew then that this just wasnt me - I had to change.

Vals StoryFor us, Restorative Justice didnt take the pain away nor was it a quick fix, but just hearing the words Im sorry was a start to moving forward.

For us it was a life changing event. You have to choose to forgive and you have to choose to move on.

Public Opinion PollAfter the August 2011 riots the Public said:

Give victims a chance to confront offendersGive victims a say in how offenders can make amendsLet offenders know the harm they have causedICM poll published by The Prison Reform Trust44

Effective Justice? High quality Restorative Justice reduces offending by 27%

Effective Justice? For every 1 spent on providing Restorative Justice, 9 are saved in reduced crime for the Criminal Justice system

Restorative Justice isnt the complete answer, but its a proven means of helping both victims and perpetrators of crime

There can be no keener revelation of a societys soul than the way in which it treats its children.

Nelson Mandela