
The report by National Association for Youth Justice (NAYJ) said the Ministry of Justice's response to Charlie Taylor's review of youth justice in England and Wales, which was published in December 2016, was "a severe disappointment, amounting to a missed opportunity", for those who want radical change.
"The nine months since the report was published have seen few developments, suggesting that government commitments to consider further some of Taylor's recommendations may have been disingenuous," said the NAYJ's State of Youth Justice 2017 report.
Calls made in the Taylor review included moving for the sentencing of young offenders from courts to children's panels that would devise holistic plans to steer them away from crime.
Taylor, who is now chair of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), also called for restrictions on the use of short custodial sentences and the creation of secure schools to replace young offender institutions and secure training centres.
The NAYJ report said that while the government had promised to pilot secure schools, progress has been "very slow".
It added that "a number of key recommendations were rejected or ignored by the government and commitments to reform were, for the most part, couched in vague terms or put off for future consideration".
The report noted that the trend for fewer children entering the youth justice system and less use of custody for those that do is continuing. However, it warned that a lack of clarity over the future direction of youth justice is inhibiting innovation within the system and said the system still remains one with an "underlying punitive ethos".
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