§ Baroness Goudieasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they anticipate that the number of juveniles in prison custody will rise or fall as a result of the proposals contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [HL2835]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 provided for a new Detention and Training Order to replace existing custodial sentences for juveniles, a range of non-custodial measures and the formation of the youth justice board and local multi-agency youth offending teams.
Together these changes are designed to further the principal aim the Act also set for the youth justice system—preventing offending. They are at various stages of implementation. It is too early to predict the effect on the use of custody.