This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Fast-track hearings to tackle youth crime
31/01/2003
Fast-track hearings designed to deal quickly and effectively with young people who persistently break the law are now open for business, it was announced today.
The new hearings - being piloted in Dundee, Ayrshire and East Lothian and the Borders - are aimed at a hard core of offenders responsible for one third of youth crime in our communities.
Speaking at Cumnock New Community School, Minister for Young People Cathy Jamieson said:
"Fast-track hearings will not only deal with persistent offenders quickly but make them face up to their actions and get them on the right programme to tackle their offending behaviour. The hearings are a key part of our crackdown on young people who repeatedly offend.
"Young people who are repeatedly breaking the law must have their behaviour challenged. We have put in place a range of rigorous programmes - from mentoring services to programmes in secure accommodation - to combat offending behaviour, and we will reduce the time taken to get young people into programmes.
"We know that it is a small minority of young people who persistently offend. But that small minority can cause huge problems and distress in local communities. We must continue to cut youth crime and make our communities safer places to live, for all citizens."
Scottish Children's Reporter Administration Principal Reporter Alan Miller said:
"We have been working enthusiastically with our partners in the children's hearing system to develop the fast-track pilots.
"This is an opportunity to show that a world-class system can deliver world-class results when it is well resourced.
"We are confident this will further enhance our efforts to turn around the lives of the most troubled and needy young offenders in our communities."
Fast Track hearings will deal with the 8 per cent of offenders under 16 who commit five or more offences, mostly vandalism, breach of the peace, and car related crime. This will tackle more than one third of offending in communities by young people.
From February 1, any young person who has five or more referrals for offences within a six month period will go through the fast-track process. [NB the criterion is for referrals which may contain more than one offence]
The fast-track hearings should take 80 days between the offence being committed to referral to a programme - this is one third quicker than what happens at present.
New interventions in pilot areas to support the fast-track hearings include: new programmes that cover road traffic offending, parenting, mentoring, social skills, anger management and mental health issues. There are also extra intensive support places, educational support places and additional residential and secure accommodation places.
All partners - pilot authorities, police, children's panel chairs and the voluntary sector - have agreed the standards and how it should work, and that all agencies, including panel members, have had or will have special training.