Justice Committee Report: Youth Justice

Debate between Lord Beith and Nick de Bois

Thursday 14th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (LD)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the matter of the publication of the Seventh Report of the Justice Committee, on Youth Justice, HC 339.

The Committee is having a busy week. We are publishing another report this week about the Government’s plan to abolish the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council, but it is on the youth justice report that I shall concentrate today. As hon. Members know, I try to make a few points, then I take interventions. That is the only way in which hon. Members can take part in an exchange about the report, and we have 20 minutes in which to do it.

We conducted a wide-ranging inquiry to explore the targeting of resources, the use and effectiveness of available disposals, and the role of the youth justice system in diverting at-risk young people from offending. We took evidence from many witnesses. We made visits to Belfast and to young offenders institutions in Feltham and Wigan and in Denmark and Norway. I am very grateful to Committee colleagues and to the Committee staff for all their work on the report.

We found quite a lot to commend. The Youth Justice Board, youth offending teams and their partners have made great strides towards a more proportionate and effective response to youth offending that prioritises prevention. We welcome the fact that fewer young people are entering the criminal justice system. The numbers have been halved. We welcome the fact that, similarly, the numbers going into custody have been halved, although we are still high among the countries of Europe in the number of young people we have in custody.

That is not to say that we believe that minor offending is being or should be ignored; rather, we believe it should be dealt with differently. When diversion is done well, young people are less likely to go on to more serious and prolonged offending. We are particularly encouraged that agencies in many areas are using a restorative justice approach to resolve very minor offending. Bradford youth offending team, for example, established restorative justice clinics as an arrest diversion, and only 10% of young people attending the clinics were re-arrested.

[Nick de Bois (Enfield North) (Con)]

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his work in leading our Select Committee on this subject. Is he concerned, as I am, that we found the practice of restorative justice to be a postcode lottery around the country? Although we recommended that Ofsted may have a role to play when looking at care homes, we need a sense of urgency from the Government to advise on strategy in areas that are not delivering restorative justice. Does my right hon. Friend think we will have the impetus to achieve that?

[Sir Alan Beith]

I agree with that comment. The phrase “postcode lottery” is one I do not like in areas where there is innovation because what happens is that some places show what good work can be done, and we want to spread best practice as quickly as possible, but I agree with my hon. Friend’s conclusion that the Government and we as a Committee should put as much weight as we can behind spreading the knowledge, experience and skills involved in restorative justice.

On our visit to Denmark and Norway we saw the benefit of intensive multi-systemic therapy, with a concentrated range of skills dealing with young people who are on the fringes of the criminal justice system and likely to become involved in it.