Who is this James the papers are all writing about? James is a 15-year-old young offender. Though he's done some pretty nasty things - arson, theft, criminal damage - for once the press interest is not in bewailing a one-boy crime wave. The Audit Commission's report on the administration of youth justice uses his case history to show how expensive it is when we fail to intervene effectively to help young people at risk.
Audit Commission? So give us the figures then. From the age of five to the time of his second custodial sentence, the cost of dealing with him is put at 153,687. This includes educational psychologists, special needs statementing, police time and court time, but two-thirds is taken up by two six-month spells in custody.
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