Praise for the youth justice scheme diverting Northumberland youngsters from a life of crime

A leading Northumberland councillor has praised a new youth justice initiative which has led to falling re-offending rates.
Kim McGuinnessKim McGuinness
Kim McGuinness

It comes after funding from the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Kim McGuinness, launched the out-of-court disposal programme – a new way of diverting vulnerable young people away from a life of crime, and instead given high-quality mentoring and support.

The project allows the different youth justice services (YJS) within the Northumbria force area to work with the individuals involved to build a programme of mentoring and support alongside services from health, education, employment and other third-sector organisations.

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Northumberland YJS, which has seen a 44% reduction in violence against the person offences during the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year, has welcomed the collaborative approach and committed to this way of supporting young people past the funded period.

Coun Wayne Daley, Northumberland County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Northumberland YJS has always been passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people, their families and their communities.

“This commitment to making a difference informed a new collaborative approach, with Northumberland YJS being a key driver in the development and introduction of the new out-of-court disposal panel right across the Northumbria Police force area.

“The new initiative enables the YJS to support young people at the earliest opportunity with a swift response to identified problems and has proven to be very successful in reducing further offending, while providing support and direction to the young people and their families.”

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Despite only running for six months, the PCC says the initial impact is clear; in North Tyneside, only one of the 37 participants engaged through this programme has gone on to become an entrant into the criminal justice system.

“Through this new way of dealing with offending, and understanding what has happened in that young person’s life that may have led to this, bespoke individual support can be provided by a range of professionals,” said Kim McGuinness. “It is the exact sort of work that will lead to improving lives to prevent crime.”