Youth Justice Board chair Rod Morgan pointed out that the number of young people in the youth justice system hasn't changed over the past 10 years - but the way we deal with them has. He said up to 40,000 children are being prosecuted who 10 years ago would have been dealt with pre-court.
Morgan wants greater flexibility in the way we deal with children pre-court to lessen the likelihood of reoffending. He cited The Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, led by Professor David Smith and Dr Lesley McAra, which showed that those who are caught and end up in the justice system are more likely to offend in future than those who aren't caught. Offending by the latter group was more likely to peter out.
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