Justice Committee Report: Youth Justice

Jeremy Corbyn Excerpts

Thursday 14th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Beith]

The idea that we can sort out the problems of a young person who is committing serial, prolific crimes through a process that does not take much time is just a mistake. It takes time to address these problems. We have looked, for example, at the Willow unit at Hindley and a whole series of ways of trying to turn round the lives of young people. I am afraid that the short, sharp shock is an illusion. There is no proven way to deal with prolific young offenders other than by giving them a lot of attention over a significant period.

[Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab)]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for chairing the Committee through the fascinating experience of undertaking this youth justice inquiry. Will he comment on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and say at what point a young person who has committed a fairly minor offence or a more major one would have it written off? We do not want a society in which misdemeanours undertaken by young people, for all kinds of reasons of poverty, naivety or whatever else, follow them for the rest of their lives, damaging their career prospects and us as a society.