This act introduced referral orders - a new sentence for first-time young offenders who plead guilty - and extra support for child witnesses who find giving evidence in criminal proceedings particularly difficult.
The Youth Justice Board, established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, advises the home secretary, monitors the operation and performance of the youth justice system, identifies and disseminates good practice. Its website includes good practice guidelines, news and policy briefings, contact details for youth offending teams and biographies of its 12 board members.
Referral orders are given to most 10- to 17-year-olds pleading guilty and convicted for the first time in court, unless the charge is serious enough to warrant custody. After appearing in court, the young person is referred to the local youth offender panel, which decides what action is most appropriate. This website explains the workings of youth offender panels and includes short video of what happens.
This report outlines how Connexions services, intended to offer advice and guidance to all teenagers, should work with the Youth Justice Board to help young offenders receive education, training and employment.
The National Association for Youth Justice campaigns for change in legislation, policy and practice to reform the youth justice system. NAYJ develops community projects to support young people in trouble, promotes good practice and provides training courses for professionals. Its website includes policy briefings, a discussion forum, links to other useful sites, as well as information on conferences and training events.
This charity provides information on youth offending and works with youth offending panels to develop more effective policies and services. Its overall aim is to reduce crime by tackling social exclusion. Its website includes a newsletter, policy briefings and statistics.
This charity conducts research on parenting, youth justice, social inclusion and health, and provides training for parents and professionals. Its website includes a newsletter, publications and details of its research.
This report sets out recommendations to make the Scottish youth justice system more effective by improving performance monitoring.
This report evaluates the Apex CueTen project, established as a result of a Scottish Office initiative to develop community schemes for persistent juvenile offenders. It concluded that the scheme, set up in Fife in 1996, led to considerable savings in criminal justice system costs through crime prevention and reducing the number of custodial sentences.