Top judge to lead on youth justice in landmark move

Mr Justice William Davis, a barrister since 1975, has been appointed to the position by the head of the judiciary, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd.

The Courts and Tribunal Judiciary said Davis will be responsible for chairing a committee to “provide judicial oversight of and co-ordination for matters relating to youth justice in the criminal courts”.

The move mirrors a recommendation made in the final report of an independent inquiry into the youth courts, which was published last June.

Lord Carlile of Berriew, who chaired that inquiry, told CYP Now he welcomed the creation of the new role.

"This is an important move towards consistency and best practice,” he added.

"I and other members of the team that produced the inquiry report look forward to a changing youth justice landscape in the period ahead.

“It will provide impetus to ensuring that as many cases as possible are tried in the youth courts, and that standards are universally high around the country.

“The role of the chief coroner is an excellent example of how having a senior judge in overall charge can raise standards significantly.

"It will also provide a structure that will provide confidence for future legislative change."

Enver Solomon, director of evidence and impact at the National Children’s Bureau, which provided secretariat support for the inquiry, described the appointment as “long overdue”.

“The youth courts are not currently effectively fulfilling their principal aim of preventing reoffending and having adequate regard for the welfare of the child,” he said.

“There is far too much poor practice as the court is often used as a place for junior legal practitioners to 'cut their teeth', with youth court law mistakenly perceived to be less complex and less important than adult court law.  

“This results in poor representation, needs not being identified and inappropriate sentences being advocated.

“Overall, there needs to be a more holistic, joined-up approach to tackling the underlying issues behind a child’s offending behaviour. A greater focus on problem-solving in the youth court rather than on punishment is required and hopefully the new judicial lead will take this forward.”

Other reforms called for in the inquiry into youth courts included the requirement that under-18s always be dealt with in youth court rather than Crown Court, as well as for the introduction of a system to ensure there is always a senior youth magistrate or qualified "youth-ticketed" district judge available in adult magistrates’ courts if a youth court is not in session.

In addition, it recommended that all legal practitioners representing children at a police station or court to be suitably accredited, and calls for criminal records to be wiped clean at the age of 18 for children who haven’t committed a serious or violent offence.