News
Insight: essential youth sector analysis and reflection - Issue 12, 24 November 2010
24 November 2010
Voice and influence in the youth justice system
The National Youth Agency will shortly be publishing research into the voice and influence of young offenders in the youth justice system. The NYA was commissioned by the Local Government Association to undertake research with Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) and service users in order to gain a better understanding of the barriers to participation, identify good practice and look at how to raise the profile of participation within the youth justice system.
What is the current situation?
The Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour’s (ICYCAB) report Time for a Fresh Start, found that despite evidence that youth crime has been falling for 16 years, the number of children and young people in custody, although lower than two years ago, is still significantly greater than 20 years ago when crime levels were close to their peak. In 1992, 4,000 10-17 year olds received custodial sentences, compared with 5,498 in 2008. There are a number of possible reasons for this. The youth justice system tends to target and recycle ‘the usual suspects’ again and again, especially young people from deprived neighbourhoods and certain minority ethnic groups. There is still an emphasis on incarceration within the youth justice system - the rates of youth custody in England and Wales remain higher than in other European countries. Reconviction rates for young offenders also remain high – around 40% of young offenders are reconvicted within a year, but the equivalent reconviction rate for those leaving custody is as high as 75%.
The latest report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the Youth Justice Board has revealed that treatment of and conditions for young people in custody have deteriorated in some areas – particularly around receiving help for drug and alcohol problems, and safeguarding issues such as physical abuse or victimisation. The report also found that although most young people said they were involved in purposeful activity, around 10% said they did not have a job, were not taking part in education, vocational training or offending behaviour programmes.
Given the current situation it is perhaps not suprising that recent figures taken from the National Offender Management Service highlighted Young Offender Institutions as the most violent prisons in England. Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said that the size of the prisons and lack of activities were factors contributing to the increase in violent incidents.
So why is participation important in the youth justice system?
In its report, the ICYCAB commented on youth engagement and youth voice in the youth justice system saying: ‘We have seen for ourselves how initiatives that engage children and young people to obtain their perspectives can contribute to crime prevention while enhancing participants’ own learning and personal development’. Very few young people who took part in the NYA voice and influence research said they had any experience of involvement in developing or designing the services they were subject to. However, many had realistic ideas of what they would like to do and what would make a difference to them within the YOT programme and services they received.
A thematic report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons on training planning for children and young people in custody found that only two-thirds of young offenders report having training plans in place. Training plans are mandatory and ‘should underpin and guide the management of a young person's time in custody and his or her transition back into the community’. The report attributes this low figure to the fact that not all young people are aware they have a plan; they may refer to it by a different name; or they may have forgotten they have one, due to their lack of involvement with the planning process or the infrequency with which it is reviewed. Indeed, the survey responses in the report show that young people do not always feel adequately involved - of the young people who reported having a plan in place, only around half said they were involved in its development.
So what does the Voice and Influence research tell us?
The research found that whilst there are some examples of good participation practice, this is not widespread across all YOTs and there is a general lack of strategic direction as to how participation should be implemented within YOTs. It also found some misunderstanding among youth justice practitioners of what participation is and many said they had too little time and too few participation resources to engage with young people in a meaningful way.
It found that young offenders themselves also had little experience of participation and have low expectations about their ability to influence plans and shape YOT services, although they would like the opportunity to do so.
The report makes a number of recommendations aimed a promoting young people’s voice and influence within the youth justice system. These include:
- YOTs need to ensure all youth justice practitioners are provided with participation awareness raising and training
- YOTs must have a clear strategic commitment to participation
- YOTs should develop a participation strategy with the involvement of young people
- YOTs should systematically consult with young people about staff and services and young people’s feedback should be scrutinised at YOT management and performance meetings
- There should be more opportunities for YOTs to share effective practice examples across the youth justice system
What does the sector say?
Nick Hardwick, chief inspector of prisons, said: "Prisons can offer a short window of opportunity for the majority of young people who end up in custody. That is an opportunity that must not be wasted."
NYA News
Hard times: great expectations – transforming services for young people
20 January 2011, Local Government House
Booking is now open for this free event, focusing on the future of youth services. The conference will be critical for Lead Members with responsibility for Children and Young People’s Services, Directors/Associate Directors, and Heads of Service. Tim Loughton MP will give the ministerial address, and the event will be structured around promoting dialogue and discussion between elected members, officers and their key stakeholders. Priority for places will be given to lead members and local authority officers. To book your place, please visit www.lga.gov.uk/events