| The city was one of three locations proposed for the £1million-a-year courts by the previous Scottish Executive, but there are now concerns over the cost.
Sources at Holyrood told the Tele ministers support the specialist courts and have not scrapped expansion plans, but it appears they have yet to be fully convinced of their merits.
Justice minister Kenny MacAskill said today, “We have concluded it would not be appropriate to commit to further youth courts at this stage, but to reconsider the position in spring 2009, when the existing youth courts will be reviewed.
“This will provide opportunity in the interim period for a study to be commissioned to assess the effectiveness of youth courts in relation to achieved outcomes and specifically their impact on reconviction rates.”
The aim of the youth courts — already set up in Hamilton and Airdrie — is to address the number of persistent young offenders and reoffending rates.
Extension of the youth courts scheme was proposed on the perceived success of the pilots by the then Labour administration, and was backed by politicians in Dundee.
Mr MacAskill’s desire to “hold off until 2009” comes after a report by Audit Scotland last year questioned whether youth courts offered value for money.
It’s understood sheriffs in Dundee have told civil servants that establishing one locally would require “disproportionate levels of capital expenditure”.
Labour’s shadow justice secretary Pauline McNeill, however, accused the Government of not being “prepared to fund courts which have been successful”.
“If you look at the issues in the justice system which tend to be successful, if you fast-track what’s happening in youth courts and you make that direct connection between the young offenders committing an offence, getting them into court quickly has proven to be very effective indeed in reducing offending,” she said.
“There has been cross party support for this. It’s not as if there has been opposition. The SNP had supported the roll-out and demanded it while we were in government.
“So it really is not good enough now that they’re in charge of the budget and they’re not prepared to fund it. This really is an example of some of the stuff we’re going to be hearing today about the budget.
“The offenders services budget which this comes out of has not been properly funded, and they’re now trying to find excuses not to roll out a successful project.”
A Scottish Government spokesman acknowledged that the existing youth courts in the west appeared to have operated successfully since their creation.
“The previous evaluation highlighted the particular strengths of the youth court model over previous arrangements, including the fast-tracking of young people to and through the court, the reduction in trials, and the availability of a wider range of resources and services for young people,” he said.
“However, before deciding whether to expand youth courts we want to properly assess whether they have a positive impact on reoffending rates.
“A longer period of evaluation is required to make any meaningful assessment, and we will review their position next year once this study is complete and in light of the impact of wider summary justice reforms.
“The vast majority of young people are not offenders, but the Scottish Government is determined to do more to prevent young people getting involved in crime — and to intervene earlier and more effectively if they do.
“We want all of Scotland’s children and young people to have the opportunity to see different ways of living, to realise their potential, to have hope and aspirations, and to understand that getting involved in crime and antisocial behaviour is not acceptable.
“This Government has a new focus on strengthening prevention, early intervention and continued improvement of the multi-agency response to children and young people who offend, or who are at risk of offending. All of this will be reflected in a revised youth strategy.
“We are also taking a new approach by reinvesting the proceeds of crime to make a real and positive difference to young people’s lives, providing positive alternatives through sports, music and the arts.”
The main types of crime committed by children in Dundee during 2006-07 were assault, breach of the peace, vandalism and theft.
The city’s record in reducing youth crime is one of the best in Scotland, with the number of persistent offenders falling by 16% to 67. |
