In the second quarter of 2007, youth defendants waited an average of 90 days for their case to be concluded. But in the same period this year the gap between arrest and case completion dropped to 78 days. The proportion of juvenile defendants who were subject to only one hearing in court also increased from 32 per cent of defendants in 2007 to 40 per cent in 2008.
Chris Wright, director of services at charity Rainer Crime Concern, said: "This is a welcome move in the right direction. It is vital young people are able to see their case dealt with quickly and, if guilty, see the connection between their offence and the outcome. It is also important those remanded in custody see their cases dealt with quickly."
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