while Todays youth Justice survey demonstrates bankruptcy of current government policies a recent Parliamentary question reveals government incompetence and ignorance. 

The report published today by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) at King’s College London said most youth justice targets had been missed despite a “substantial” increase in spending.

Stephen jakobi, convener of the “children aren’t criminals.”  (CAC) campaign added.

” Not least of the problems is a policy that is “tough on crime, tough on the symptoms  of crime.” and the  consequent failure by concentration on the criminal justice system to deliver measurable impact on problematic and disruptive behaviour by very young children.

Behind the scenes, joined up government is so ineffective that the criminal justice system has been unable to marry up the  ASBO System, administered by ordinary magistrates courts, with a youth justice system pursued through juvenile courts.

Symptomatic of this is that in answer to a recent PQ by Susan Kramer MP concerning the number of young children under 14  imprisoned through the mechanism of the ASBO system the reply given by government was that it had no idea since statistics were not recorded centrally.

This amounts to an admission by government that it has no clear idea of the reasons why  very young children are imprisoned: a horrific and disgraceful situation.  

The background bodes ill for the fate of their “Youth Crime Action Plan” promised for this summer.  No doubt 10-year-olds will continue to be lumped in with 17-year-olds as “youth” and continue to be dealt with under essentially adult criminal codes in an adult criminal justice system.  No doubt the dual control of education and Justice established by the Brown administration will continue.

It is quite clear that the under 14s should be taken out of a failed system targeting  older teenagers.”

We demand a Royal commission to look at the whole problem of the younger age range currently thrown in with older children within the youth justice system.  10 to 13-year-olds should be taken out of the criminal justice system entirely”