Courts can currently only issue referral orders to first-time young offenders who plead guilty, but from Monday they will be able to impose orders on second-time offenders who plead guilty and who have not previously had a referral order.
They will also be able to extend orders to more than three months and withdraw them when young offenders have made good progress.
Young offenders issued with referral orders must appear before a panel of community volunteers who can impose programmes including mentoring, curfews, anger management and family counselling, as well as requiring them to make reparation to their victim and the community. If a young offender fails to agree or abide by a contract, the case will be referred back to the court for resentencing.
Justice minister David Hanson said: "The existing referral order has proved successful by cutting the number of young people who re-offend. In the vast majority of cases, young people can be more effectively dealt with in the community under proper supervision where they can remain in key services such as education and health."
The extension of the use of referral orders that comes into play on Monday was first brought in as part of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
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