Youth crime drive has 'no impact'

by Dave Keating | May 20, 2008 at 11:17 pm

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A £650 million Labour-initiated program called the Youth Justice Board and local Youth Offending Teams that was begun in 2000 has gotten some bad reviews in a report issued today.

The Centre for Crime and JusticeStudies at King's College London said the government's claims ofsuccess have been oexagerated, and in face the program has had barely any impact at all. In fact, the number of children imprisoned or brought into the criminal justice system has only increased.

A decade-long government drive to cut youth offending has had "no measurable impact", an independent study suggests.

Criminologists at King's College London said success in targeting youth crime was far more mixed and ambiguous than ministers liked to claim.

The team said youth crime spending was up a massive 45% on 2000 - but every reoffending target had been missed.

The Youth Justice Board said an official independent audit showed the reforms had delivered big improvements.

One of Labour's first major acts after coming to power was to reform the system for tackling youth crime with former prime minister Tony Blair pledging to be tough on the causes of crime.