There is increasing evidence to suggest that a punitive approach doesnot work in breaking the cycle of youth crime. It seems that bylabelling children we make their behaviour worse. According to anongoing study in Edinburgh, children who admit to committing offencesbut are not caught by the police are much more likely to stop offendingof their own accord. Custody in particular does not work.
Despite radical reform of the secure estate since YJB took over thecommissioning of places, the number of reconvictions has not reducedfollowing a custodial sentence: the latest figures suggest that 78 percent of young people who have been in custody go on to commit furtheroffences.
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