In its business plan for 2014/15 the YJB says it will be operating on a budget of just £255m compared to £310m in 2013/14.
The savings are to be made through cutting youth custody spending from £197m in 2013/14 to £141m in 2014/15.
To focus on keeping reoffending rates down the YJB has pledged to keep its spending on YOTs at 2013/14’s level of £92m.
In addition, the YJB has boosted spending on community programmes by £1m to £8m, although this is still a fifth less than was spent in this area in 2010/11.
If achieved, the savings will mean the YJB will be operating on £179m less than in 2010/11 when its budget was £434m.
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, has welcomed the shift of resources from custody to community work and avoiding further cuts to YOT budgets.
She said: “YJB plans to rebalance funding from custody back into services in the community are a good indication of its determination to drive child prison numbers down to an unavoidable minimum.
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