CYP Now - Analysis: Youth justice - Catch them early before they offend

An influential think-tank believes the creation of a Sure Start Plus scheme that works with children and young people aged five to 12 could help significantly reduce youth crime. But is another government programme the solution, asks Sue Learner.

There are two clear schools of thought when it comes to youth crime. There are those who favour the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" approach and there are those who argue that prevention, not detention, is the best way forward to reduce youth crime.

Think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is among those that vehemently champion the latter approach. Last week it released a report calling for the expansion of Sure Start to encompass children aged five to 12 from disadvantaged backgrounds. It believes this would help steer this group away from a life of crime (CYP Now, 13-19 February).

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