The Youth Justice System
Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme
ISSP is the most rigorous non-custodial intervention available for young offenders. As its name suggests, it combines unprecedented levels of community-based surveillance with a comprehensive and sustained focus on tackling the factors that contribute to the young person's offending behaviour.
ISSP targets the most active repeat young offenders, and those who commit the most serious crimes.
The programme aims to:
- reduce the frequency and seriousness of offending in the target groups
- tackle the underlying needs of offenders which give rise to offending, with a particular emphasis on education and training
- provide reassurance to communities through close surveillance backed up by rigorous enforcement.
ISSP operates across all of England and Wales. There are 81 ISSP schemes and the intervention is available in all 157 youth offending teams (YOTs).
Since the programme started in July 2001, up to the end of March 2006, 19,037 persistent young offenders have been referred to an ISSP. During 2005/06 alone, there were 5,564 young people starting the ISSP.
Responsibility for delivering ISSP rests with a dedicated team that works closely with your local YOT, or with a partnership of YOTs in some instances.
Most young people will spend six months on ISSP. The most intensive supervision (25 hours a week) lasts for the first three months of the programme.
Following this, the supervision continues at a reduced intensity (a minimum of five hours a week, and weekend support) for a further three months.
On completion of ISSP the young person will continue to be supervised for the remaining period of their order.
Use the menu on the left for more on the following.