Northamptonshire YOS is the only youth justice team in the country to use the approach, whereby magistrates take part in youth rehabilitation order review meetings with young people.
The informal meetings, which take place out of court, are already showing signs of success among young offenders taking part, who are less likely to breach an order, according to Quentin Goodman, operations manager for the service's court team.
For magistrates, the approach gives them a better insight into the lives of young offenders they are sentencing and greater faith in the value of community orders, he adds.
After being used in Northamptonshire since 2014 the service is now encouraging other areas to adopt the approach. A starter pack to help other youth offending teams (YOTs) developed it was launched at the annual Youth Justice Convention held in Birmingham this week.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
