§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action has been taken to launch youth offender panels; and what further action is planned; [38328]
(2) in which newspapers and on which radio stations membership of youth offender panels has been advertised. [38327]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 27 February 2002]: Youth offending teams (Yots) throughout England and Wales are currently recruiting members of their local community to sit on youth offender panels. As this is a locally based initiative, action has been taken mainly on a local and regional basis. This has been boosted by national advertising targeted at specific groups who were under-represented in the pilot areas.
The campaign has been supported by the Youth Justice Board which has provided Yots with press releases, posters, leaflets and a standard advertisement for use in local media. The Board has also set up a dedicated website and issued a promotional video.
Some Yots have been very proactive launching their own radio advertising. Examples include radio stations in Berkshire, Bristol, Merseyside, Sheffield and Anglia TV.
A press release was issued to the national media, which was reported in The Independent newspaper. National advertising has concentrated on the ethnic press, student magazines and The Big Issue.
There will be further action in the run up to referral orders/youth offender panels going live on 1 April 2002 with a feature being offered to national magazines, trade journals, newspapers and broadcasters and the Youth Justice Board will again be asking Yots to promote panels to their local press.