There's been a lot in the media recently about youth crime, not all of it helpful. It's important to remember that while young people are responsible for some crimes, they are actually statistically more likely to be the victim of crime than adults.
The government recently unveiled it's Youth Crime Action Plan , and today Chris Huhne, Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesman launched a new youth crime policy paper called A Life Away From Crime.
Although the policies of all three main parties are moving closer together on this issue, particularly in regards to the need for earlier intervention to prevent offending, the Lib Dems place the most emphasis on progressive ideas like restorative justice, and the need to provide more diversionary activites for young people away from crime:
The main proposals include:-
· Making young people pay back the damage caused to communities without involving the criminal justice system
· The formation of a Youth Volunteer Force to engage young people in activities that benefit local people
· Running nationwide restorative justice programmes, with a particular emphasis on early intervention in schools and care homes
· Creating a dedicated PCSO youth officer in every area to work with teenagers most at risk of offending
· Targeting guns and knives through intelligence-led stop and search, hot-spot policing and action in schools
These ideas are very much in my mind as I read through Reading Borough Council's draft anti-social behaviour strategy, launched last week. The Lib Dems in Reading would like to see more emphasis by local agencies on restorative justice, as outlined in the new policy paper above, rather than over-reliance on punitive measures which do not work and often lead to more social exclusion of young people in our communities.
This already happens in Reading to a limited extent (for example groups have been involved in cleaning graffiti, tidying up local parks etc) , but we think it could have a much bigger a role to play in helping to prevent re-offending.
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