CCSE hosts training seminar about youth justice
20 April 2012
The Centre for the Study of Crime, Criminalisation and Social Exclusion (CCSE) hosted the National Youth Justice (NAYJ) training seminar entitled 'The Changing Face of Youth Justice.'
The day featured a mixture of plenary sessions and workshops with opportunities for delegates to participate. It looked at contemporary practice and policy issues and debates in youth justice.
A new briefing paper was also launched which provides an analysis of trends and developments in relation to children in conflict with the law. The paper, authored by Dr Tim Bateman, finds that:
• Detected youth crime has fallen by 49% since 1992
While some of the more recent decline might be attributed to changes in government targets, the underlying trend shows a significant reduction in offending by children
• The peak age of offending is 18-20 for males and 15-17 for females. However, most children naturally ‘grow out’ of crime
• Adults, over the age of 18, are responsible for 92% of all detected offences
• Black and mixed heritage children are overrepresented in the youth justice system
Black/ black British children are nearly six times as likely to be sentenced to custody as their white counterparts
• Custody has a higher rate of reoffending than any other form of intervention Almost 70% of imprisoned children are reconvicted within 12 months of release
• 92% of children in custody are detained in prison service young offender institutions or privately run correctional institutions. Just 8% are accommodated in more child appropriate secure children’s homes
Pam Hibbert, Chair of the NAYJ, commented: “While the use of child imprisonment has fallen in recent years, the reduction has failed to keep up with the fall in youth crime. England and Wales still locks up far too many children: custody is an inappropriate and ineffective response.”
Talking about the event, Dr. Giles Barrett, Director of the Centre for the Study of Crime, Criminalisation and Social Exclusion said: “It was a great success - bringing practitioners, policy makers and scholars together to explore the current policy trajectory in youth justice policy and, in particular, the role they can play in developing progressive, creative and imaginative responses to children in trouble.
“The issues explored at the conference included partnership working, anti social behaviour, resettlement, diversion, service provision and training resources; all of which are key issues in youth justice. LJMU as a modern civic University was delighted to both host the event and to contribute to these debates.”
