Scheme leads to 8% decrease in levels of re-offending

The Resettlement and Aftercare Provision (RAP) programme was launched in June 2005 to improve levels of support offered to children and young people leaving custody.

An evaluation study commissioned by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) found that 78 per cent of young people on RAP were reconvicted within a year of their first offence compared to 86 per cent of those not on RAP.

However, the report warned that the findings were "statistically insignificant" due to the small sample size for assessing reconviction rates (294 young people).

"The results of the reconviction study demonstrate that young people on RAP are slightly less likely to re-offend than a matched sample of young people not engaged with the programme," the report read.

"Although the difference is modest and statistically insignificant, it is moving in the right direction."

The report also found that drug use fell among those on the programme as opposed to those who were not.

Numbers using alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines and ecstasy fell, although there was an increase in numbers frequently using crack cocaine (up from 6.7 per cent to 12.9 per cent of the sample) and heroin (up from 3.3 per cent to 9.7 per cent).

"The results of this research demonstrate that the RAP initiative shows promising signs of being able to engage young offenders and help them to reduce or cease both their substance use and their offending," the report said.

However, the report’s authors warn that the evaluation took place in the early stages of the project, before it has fully "bedded down" and that further analysis is required.

RAP no longer exists in its current form, having been expanded and refocused as a result of the Youth Crime Action Plan, becoming Integrated Resettlement Support.