A new priority scheme, developed by the YJB and the London Criminal Justice Board, has seen good progress in both its pilots, Lewisham and Greenwich.
Triage, aims to prevent young people from reoffending and slipping deeper into the criminal justice system by assessing them much earlier than before.
Triage, aims to bring a youth offending team worker’s expertise into police stations to make early and rapid assessments of young people, and offers an opportunity for parents and carers to get support earlier.
The youth offending team worker will establish whether the young person is known to the youth offending team or to children’s services. They will then advise the police and Crown Prosecution Service in order to help inform their decision about the way forward. In low-risk cases, where the young person admits the offence, the family agrees and the victim is willing, this could involve restorative intervention, rather than court action. YJB research suggests that most victims who have taken part in restorative justice are glad that they have been so closely involved, had a say and can move on in life.
Frances Done, Chair of the YJB, said:
“Triage prioritises the assessment of a young person and their offence, which means that the right levels of support are made available far earlier. This can include the use of restorative justice or prevention services, such as family support, which may reduce the chances of the young person moving further into the criminal justice system.
“The YJB funded Lewisham and Greenwich pilots have progressed well, and shown significant reductions in first-time entrants, and provided support where it is needed.”
Andrew Morley, London Criminal Justice Board (London CJB) Chief Executive, said:
“Tackling youth crime is a significant priority for Londoners and this is reflected in the London CJB youth strategy, to which the Youth Justice Board is signed up. Triage is part of wider activity by the London CJB to ensure that any contact a young person has with the youth justice system is likely to result in an outcome that ensures public protection, reduces reoffending and means a young person has the opportunity to realise a positive future.”
Notes to editors
- The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) oversees the youth justice system in England and Wales. We work to prevent offending and reoffending by children and young people under the age of 18, and to ensure that custody for them is safe, secure, and addresses the causes of their offending behaviour.
- Specifically, we advise the Secretaries of State for Justice and for Children, Schools and Families on the operation of, and standards for, the youth justice system; monitor the performance of the youth justice system; purchase places for, and place, children and young people remanded or sentenced to custody; identify and promote effective practice; make grants to local authorities or other bodies to support the development of effective practice; commission research and publish information.
- Triage is the placing of youth offending team (YOT) workers in police custody suites and is currently being funded as part of the Youth Crime Action Plan in 69 local authority areas. The aim is to involve YOT Triage workers in joint decision-making with police custody teams and EROs to divert low-level first-time entrants onto restorative programmes.
- The first pilots in London were established in Lewisham and Greenwich in June 2008 and were funded by the YJB and London Criminal Justice Board and are being independently evaluated.
- The London Criminal Justice Board works with the agencies that make up the Criminal Justice System - the police, the courts, victim support, the probation service, youth justice services and the prisons - to ensure that anyone who has anything to do with the system in London experiences an effective and responsive service.