§ Phil SawfordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to tackle persistent youth offending. [66587]
§ Hilary BennWe have given the courts new secure remand and tagging powers for 12 to 16-year-olds who repeatedly offend on bail. Both started in the 10 street crime priority areas on 22 April. Tagging started in the rest of the country on 1 June 2002 and secure remands will start there on 16 September 2002.
We have also: delivered the Youth Justice Pledge by halving the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders; funded the Youth Justice Board's intensive supervision and surveillance programmes for the most prolific offenders; and introduced the detention and training order for persistent and more serious young offenders.
As a result of our youth justice reforms results published in June 2002 for the first group of young offenders dealt with in July 2000 show that the reconviction rate fell by 14.6 per cent. They exceeded the Public Service Arrangement target of a 5 per cent. reduction in juvenile reconviction rates by 5 per cent. by March 2004.