Speaking at the annual YJB Convention in Milton Keynes, Lord McNally said that while he recognises the need to reform the youth justice system, "in no way are we dealing with a failed system, or one ripe for abolition".
He went on to say that many of the successes of the youth justice system - such as falling numbers of first-time entrants and numbers of young people in custody, would likely not have been achieved without the leadership of YOTs and the YJB.
Both the YJB and YOTs were created through the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
"I often hear from those with long experience of young offenders that it would be an act of vandalism to return to a pre-1998 regime which would allow youth justice services to be gradually sucked back in to general social and welfare provisions, with the resultant loss of focus and specialism," McNally said.
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