Involving Community in Youth Justice (From UNAFEI Annual Report for 2000 and Resource Material Series No. 59, P 164-182, 2002, -- See NCJ-200221)

• NCJ Number: 200230
• Author(s): Rob Allen
• Date Published: October 2002
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Presentation
• Language: English
• Country: Japan

Annotation

This document discusses community involvement in the juvenile justice system in England.

Abstract

Neighborhood Watch was initiated in 1982 and involves ordinary citizens watching over their community for crime. There are more than 150,000 Neighborhood Watch schemes in the United Kingdom. Another important community organization is called Victim Support. Victim Support was initiated 25 years ago and provides practical advice, help, and assistance to victims of crime, witnesses, and their families and friends. It also has the role of raising public awareness about crime issues and promotes the rights of victims. There are about 13,000 trained volunteers that visit and contact victims of crime. Another kind of community involvement is Lay Magistrates, trained volunteers that deal with the vast majority of less serious crime. It is the first tier of the court system. There are a large number of voluntary organizations, civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based groups involved in the community. The Youth Justice Board has funded 39 schemes of mentoring projects for young offenders. Most of the offenders that get mentors are minor offenders. In evaluating these mentoring programs, it was found that recruitment was difficult in the more affluent areas. The question of police background checks is also an issue. The right level of supervision and support to offer mentors is also a question to be dealt with. The Youth Justice Board is extending the mentoring program in two specific areas: improving literacy and math skills; and extending to ethnic minorities. Three other areas of community involvement in Youth Justice are “appropriate adults,” Boards of Visitors, and visitors to police stations. All of these people are there to ensure proper treatment and understanding by the offender as to the charges against him or her. Referral orders are a new development in England and resemble Family Group Conferencing. A referral order is made by the youth court and is for people with no previous conviction. The decisionmaking process is given to a Youth Offender Panel.