Mary Duffy, chair of the Magistrates' Association's Youth Courts Committee, said magistrates were concerned about The Scaled Approach's suggestion that the primary goal of interventions with juvenile criminals should be to prevent reoffending by young people.
"Magistrates are trained to always start by considering the seriousness of the offence before looking at aggravating or mitigating circumstances," she said. "Sentences should start by making sure that young people understand the seriousness of their crime and not go straight into the risk of reoffending as a starting point."
"Our fear is young people will not fully appreciate the seriousness of the offence if we start by looking at how to prevent further offending. It is the wrong way round to start with reoffending risk assessments."
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
