HC Deb 02 December 2002 vol 395 cc608-10
17. Mr. Andrew Love (Edmonton)

What measures he is taking to tackle persistent youth offenders. [82319]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Michael Wills)

We are tackling the causes of persistent youth offending through our work to overcome social and economic exclusion, and we are coupling that with tougher action to bring home to persistent offenders the severe consequences that will follow continued offending, including antisocial behaviour orders, acceptable behaviour contracts, parenting orders and local child curfews.

Mr. Love

May I commend the excellent work being done by the Enfield youth offending team, which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary visited earlier this year? Its restorative justice programme is nipping in the bud the sort of behaviour that leads to antisocial offending. What steps is my hon. Friend taking to expand that type of programme so that we can address the sort of antisocial behaviour that leads to youth offending?

Mr. Wills

My hon. Friend is right. We have to take a range of measures to deal with this problem. The sort of measures that he mentions are very welcome, and we know that they are beginning to work. The proof of the success of the measures that we are taking is that we have reduced the reconviction rate by 14.6 per cent. during the past five years, which is important, and that we have delivered on our pledge to halve the time between arrest and sentence. My hon. Friend will agree that those measures are working. We want to see more of them, and we will continue to fund them.

Mr. Michael Jabez Foster (Hastings and Rye)

Does my hon. Friend agree that the social inquiry reports that are sometimes produced in court when young offenders appear before magistrates and in other courts are inadequate? Does he also agree that, because the wider family context is often relevant, it would be helpful in the raft of legislation that is to follow to make family reports available to criminal courts as well as family courts?

Mr. Wills

My hon. Friend makes a very important point, and we will certainly consider it very carefully in framing the legislation.

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