Cutting through the rhetoric of youth crime

Two reports over the last week have argued that Britain’s youth crime policy is failing both perpetrators and the communities of which they are part.

Critically, some 25% of all under-18s have committed an offence, re-offending rates have not reduced substantially in the last 10 years and the youth custodial system is widely recognised as being a failure. This is despite massive increases in budget and government comment to the contrary.

These factors will drive the formulation of Labour's Youth Crime Action Plan, a new initiative which will be unveiled in the summer. The plan is expected to trigger a sea change in the approach to youth crime, with the Department  for Children Schools and Families arguing for a more welfare-based approach, something that would be welcomed by penal reform groups.

With a 61% greater than average chance of being burgled if you live in social housing and ASB being the number 1 concern of tenants, the sector will be keenly looking at the detail. Improving outcomes through behavioural change is key, but there will be a serious debate over whether a more ‘liberal’ or a more ‘punitive’ system will be more publicly acceptable: politically, no government wants to be seen as being ‘soft on crime’.

As the sector shapes itself to become ever more the ‘community sharp-end’, delivering a widening range of services from the bedrock of neighbourhood presence and trust, then it needs to ensure its voice is heard on the practical success stories that it delivers day-in and day-out: practical success cuts through rhetoric.

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