CYP Now - Magistrates back court-style hearings to deter young gang members from crime

Court-style hearings that highlight the consequences of crime to young gang members at risk of offending should be considered across all of England and Wales, a leading magistrate has said.

Following the success of projects in Glasgow and London, Derby has become the latest area to use so-called gang “call-ins” to try and persuade young people to change their lifestyle.

The initiative involves known gang members being invited to take part in a special hearing by a youth worker, police officer or probation worker who already knows them.

In Derby a total of 20 young people have signed a pledge to turn their lives around, following a “call-in” hearing at the city’s crown court involving police, a judge, a trauma surgeon and an ex-gang member, who used the meeting to explain the potential repercussions of crime.

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