Reduction in Youth Court cases

31 May 2012

Although the 2012 figure is probably a statistical blip, it is likely that the 2012 total will be 150 or less.
 

Number of cases presented to the Youth Court 

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012 (4 months)
Cases	327	344	253	179	20

In order to check that these figures were not unrepresentative, comparative figures have been obtained for the numbers aged under 18 in the Young Offenders Institution at the Prison and in Greenfields Remand Centre in relation to criminal charges and for the number of offences committed by under 18s.

 

Young Offenders Institution  

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012 (4 months)
Number of admissions	29	23	49	19	4

Greenfields (criminal charge related)

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012 (4 months)
Number of admissions	Figure not available	71	28	16	1

Number of offences detected

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012 (4 months)
Offences detected	Figure not available	674	535	340	48

All of these figures show a very welcome down turn in the levels of youth crime.

Although it is probably unlikely that the levels for 2011 to 2012 will remain at such a low level, it appears that there has been a significant shift in the recent pattern of levels of youth crime.

It is not possible to say precisely what has caused this, but there has been an increasing emphasis over the last decade in early intervention strategies, such as the Crime and Community Safety Strategy and Substance Misuse Strategy. Similarly, since 2003, the amount and standards of work with young people, including young offenders, have greatly improved through the work of agencies, which include:

• Education Service (PSHE)
• Children’s Service
• Youth Service
• Probation Service
• children’s homes
• States of Jersey Police
• Honorary Police
• Community Support Team
• specialists working in secondary schools
• Building a Safer Society, including: 
  • Prison Me, No Way
  • football with the Community Development Officer
  • outreach workers
• motocross project
• Greenfields
• Young Offenders Institution