The Growth of Targeted Youth Crime Prevention

Bob AshfordHead of Youth Justice StrategyYouth Justice Board for England and Wales

Overview

● The Role of the Youth Justice Board

● The Research Case for prevention

● YJB Prevention Programmes

● Performance Framework

● Links to new Government Strategies - the Youth Crime Action Plan

Youth justice reforms

● Crime and Disorder Act 1998

● New local and national structures

● Reformed sentencing framework

● Reforms to secure facilities

● Cutting delays

● Focus on prevention and early intervention

● New culture

National structure

Youth Justice Board

● Independent non-departmental government body

● Advise on operation of the system and content of national standards

● monitor performance

● Identify effective practice

● Commission and purchase secure places – the purchaser-provider

divide

Local structure

Youth Offending Teams

● Multi-agency - police, probation, health, education and social

services

● Links to other statutory and community agencies

● Multi-agency steering group

● Local funding with additional YJB grants

● Responsible for provision of youth justice services and local youth

justice plans

Prevention: where have we come from?

Audit Commission report 1996

“ efforts to prevent offending and other anti-social behaviour by young

people need to be coordinated between the different agencies

involved; they should also be targeted on deprived areas with high

crime rates, and piloted and evaluated”

Where have we come from?

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

Principal Aim

To prevent offending by children and young people

YJB Statutory Duty

To Promote Effective Practice

YJB Strategy

●Targeted services

●Early identification of risk factors

●Intervention at pre-delinquency stage

●Concentrate on high/medium-risk group

●Whole family approach

●Neighbourhood and Community engagement

Risk Factors● Family

Poor parental supervision and discipline

Conflict History of criminal activity Parental attitudes that condone

antisocial and criminal behaviour Low income Poor Housing

● Personal Hyperactivity and impulsivity Low intelligence and cognitive

impairment Alienation and lack of social

commitment Attitudes that condone offending and

drug misuse Friendship with peers involved in

crime and drug misuse

●School Aggressive behaviour (including

bullying) Lack of commitment (including

truancy) School disorganisation

●Community Living in a disorganised

neighbourhood Disorganisation and neglect Availability of drugs High population turnover and lack of

neighbourhood attachment

Protective Factors

● Individual Female gender Resilient temperament Sense of self efficacy Positive, outgoing disposition High intelligence

● Social Bonding Stable, warm, affectionate

relationship with one or both parents

Link with teachers and with other adults and peers who hold positive attitudes, and ‘model’ positive social behaviour

●Healthy Standards Prevailing attitudes across a

community Views of parents Promotion of healthy standards

within school Opportunities for involvement,

social and reasoning skills, recognition and due praise

From: Anderson B., Beinhart P., Farrington D., Longman J., Sturgis P. and Utting, D. (2001). Risk & Protective Factors associated with Youth crime and Effective Interventions to Prevent it. YJB Research Note. November.

The Menu: YIPNeighbourhood-Based Youth

Crime Prevention

TargetingGeographical

Core Group (50)

Identification

Multi-Agency Nomination

Community

Self, Parent/Carer

Age Range13 – 17th Birthday (Senior)

8 – 13th Birthday (Junior)

Activities

Advocacy

Mentoring

Sport, Outdoor, Issue-Based

Assessment ONSET

Duration Up to 1-2 years

73% of young offenders were arrested for fewer

offences after engaging with the YIP – MHB Evaluation

2003

The Menu: YISPPartnership Planning

TargetingGeographical (Can be

County-Wide)

IdentificationMulti-Agency Referral

Parent/Carer Self-Referral

Age Range 8 – 14 (In Some Cases 17)

Activities

Key Work

Individual Support Plan

Panel

Assessment ONSET

Duration 3 – 6 Months

The Menu: ParentingPrevention Additions

Targeting Assessment-Based

IdentificationMulti-Agency Referral

Prevention Programmes

Age Range 8 – 18th Birthday

Activities

Individual Programmes

Group Work

Whole Family Interventions

Assessment Asset, Onset, Bespoke

Duration Needs-Led

Modality

Voluntary Parenting

Contracts

Parenting Orders

Between 2004 and 2006, the number of parenting

interventions through YOTs doubled to 11,000. Audits showed improvements in

quality and 95% of parents were satisfied with the

interventions.

Programme Methodology

Multi-Agency Identification

Engagement Assessment

Programme Delivery

ReviewExit Strategy

PlanningUniversal Provision

Youth Crime Prevention – Major Government Investment Streams Since 1999-2000

●YJB prevention programmes - £100m

since 1999-2000

Multiple funding streams to

YOTs and Third Sector

●Children’s Fund: £150m since 2003

●(PAYP: £160m since 2003)

Total = £410m

By comparison:

●YJB custody spend since 99-00 =

£1.7bn

Targeted Prevention

Secure Estate

Youth Crime Prevention – 2005 On: Major New Unified Funding Stream

Category 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Total

Parenting SR04 £0 £2,000,000 2,000,000 £4,000,000

YIP and YISP SR04* £3,000,000 £5,000,000 8,000,000 £16,000,000

Budget 05 £0 £10,000,000 £15,000,000 £25,000,000

Total £3,000,000 £17,000,000 £25,000,000 £45,000,000

Programme Expansion to:YIP: 114 projectsYISP: 220 panelsParenting: 84 programmesSSP*: 3 partnershipsISO: 6 schemesInnovative: 39 initiatives*Overall there are over 450 SSPs in England.

2006-07 partnership funding estimated at over £27m.

Programmes expected to engage at least 50,000 young people between 2006 and 2008

Failure to prevent future crime is costly to the taxpayer given the expense of correctional services

Number of crimes

prevented per £1000

spent

Over 4 yrs Over 9 yrs

Prevention

Youth interventions 11 19.4

Parenting programmes 6.7 11

Situational 1.7 2.2

Reducing Reoffending

Drug treatment 1.1 1.3

Community 1.4 2.3

Custody 1 1.9

Policing

Hot spot policing 1.7 1.9

High visibility patrol 0.4 0.4

Crime Reduction Review, Home Office 2004; Scott, S. (2001) Cost of social exclusion: Antisocial children grow up

Preventative measures have been shown to be much more cost effective than later interventions but public funds are devoted primarily to the detection and punishment of crime

Costs by age 27 to public services

of not intervening

£7,423

£70,019

No behaviourproblems

Conduct Disorder atage 10

• The value to diverting an individual from offending is on average £172,000 (NPV)

• Crime and ASB also cost public services proportionally a great deal. A recent study found they accounted for 64% of the £70,000 cost of public services used by a cohort of socially excluded children with conduct disorder over 18 years

Audit Commission 2004

“ targeted and well-managed early intervention programmes can

be effective if they are properly co-ordinated both nationally

and locally, such as those managed by Yots”

“ better still, mainstream agencies, such as schools and health

services, should take full responsibility for preventing

offending by young people”

The Youth Crime Action Plan

● Youth disorder continues to be of growing concern to the public, fuelled in part by high profile

● Gang and gun crime.

● MORI– around 25% of young people have been victims of crime.

● Need to join up services to young people

● The Youth Crime Action Plan is being developed trilaterally by the Home Office, DCSF and MoJ, with other partners including ACPO and the YJB.

● It will culminate in two publications next year – the Action Plan to set the strategic direction and outline the policy reform necessary to achieve our aims, and a Practitioners’ Toolkit to help drive change on the ground

Preventing first time entrants to the Criminal Justice

System

Dealing more effectively with

offending

Victimisation

Serious Violence

We are developing policy across two main themes, with two cross-cutting issues

Prevention Overview

● Strong Research Base

● Strong Delivery Base

● Links to wider governmental agendas