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?It?s setting them on the right road, like a parent would?: Mark Croly has been spending his benefit on Buckfast and hasn’t been eating. Normally the 16-year-old likes food. He worked in a restaurant, but that ended when he gave himself the September weekend off. [. . .] There are too many young men and women in our prisons and the only way to stop that is to change their behaviour at an earlier age. Out of the knowledge that the system was not working, Includem was born four years ago to offer a service for the young offenders social work could not reach. . .” Herald
See also
Posted by MM on Mon 22nd Mar 2004 at 3:12 pm“Playground violence hits new levels: There was a time when a fight in the playground between two pupils would result in little more than a few bruises, a black eye and wounded pride as their classmates looked on and cheered their favourite. But the sheer scale and ferocity of violence between pupils has now reached such worrying proportions that Scotland?s schools have been ordered to compile figures to officially record the amount of violence, verbal abuse and bullying in an effort to single out the worst offenders. . .” Scotland on Sunday
More links later. MM.
Posted by MM on Mon 22nd Mar 2004 at 3:10 pm“How To Prevent Crime: Put Child Welfare First: Prevention is better than cure. It?s an old adage, but it holds good. Whether we are talking about the fabric of our home or the fabric of our society, common sense tells us that it is always better to deal with a problem at an early stage. [. . .] even the most cursory examination of the current policy debate on young people reveals an emphasis on a punitive rather than a supportive approach. There is a crying need to rebalance our efforts. . .” Sunday Herald. Comment by Susan Deacon, formerly Scottish Minister for Health and Community Care.
“Deacon tells First Minister: put children first to cut youth crime: The McConnell government has been told by one of its most senior backbenchers that it needs a radical shift from the ?punitive? attack on young tearaways to supportive policies which help children avoid becoming anti-social, overweight and undisciplined. Susan Deacon, the former health minister, has set out one of the boldest Labour alternatives to the path being followed by First Minister Jack McConnell, warning that the Executive is doing only one side of what is necessary to tackle youth crime. . .” Sunday Herald
See also
Youth Crime in Scotland. A Scottish Executive Policy Unit Review. Kenneth Hogg. July 1999.
N.B. Dates listed on the Scottish Executive publications site tend to be the dates of upload rather than publication for earlier documents. Not helpful. MM
Posted by MM on Mon 22nd Mar 2004 at 3:03 pm“Rough Justice Czar. Prosecutors Probed: A Czar is to be appointed to prevent future miscarriages of justice and blunders by prosecutors.For the first time, Scotland will have a Chief Inspector of Prosecution who will police the way the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service operate. . .” Sunday Mail
Press release
“Independent Inspectorate of Prosecution” Scot. Exec. 4.3.04.
Posted by MM on Mon 22nd Mar 2004 at 2:50 pm
“Cash crisis hits project to stop tearaways risk: A pioneering scheme tackling anti-social behaviour by targeting young people on the verge of becoming tearaways is facing a major funding crisis. Since being launched about 18 months ago, the Big Project has provided a wide range of alternative leisure activities to children in the Capital?s tough Broomhouse estate.
It has worked with the siblings of teenagers causing youth disorder in a bid to divert them from criminal behaviour [. . .] backers today admitted that the initiative only has enough cash to continue through June. . .” Evening News
Posted by MM on Fri 19th Mar 2004 at 10:12 pmThe Social Work Services Inspectorate has published the first in a series of inspections of the practice of all the groupings of local authorities and unitary authorities providing criminal justice social work services across Scotland.
Report
Posted by MM on Fri 19th Mar 2004 at 3:03 pm
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it endorses the change in strategy by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency.
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab)
To ask the First Minister what the top priority is for the Scottish Executive’s Cabinet. (S2F-748)
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP)
Our top priority is to grow the Scottish economy. In addition, tackling crime and antisocial behaviour is top of our immediate agenda. In Scotland, we need more wealth, more jobs and stronger communities if we are to deliver a sustainable further reduction in poverty and deprivation.
The First Minister (Mr Jack McConnell)
(FMQ 18.3.04)
“Paramilitary inmates move backed: Members of the Scottish Parliament have agreed to allow Westminster to decide on the transfer of paramilitary inmates in Northern Ireland to Scottish jails. Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy wants the option to move “disruptive” inmates to help the peace process. . .” BBC
“MSPs back Irish prisoners’ jail transfer” The Scottish Parliament has backed controversial measures allowing paramilitary prisoners to be transferred from Northern Ireland to Scottish jails. . .” Scotsman
See also
[url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/justice1/reports/j1r04-04-01.htm]Justice 1 Committee
4th Report, 2004 (Session 2). The Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill ? UK Legislation.[/url]
Scottish Parliament Official Report 18.3.04. Debate on the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill.
Posted by MM on Fri 19th Mar 2004 at 2:19 pm“Extra police for railway stations: Police are stepping up security in Scotland’s train stations. British Transport Police (BTP) and regular officers will up their presence in stations to reassure people in the aftermath of the Madrid bombings. . .” BBC
“Police reassure commuters at Waverley Station after Madrid bombings” Scottish TV
“Platform Patrols: Police yesterday launched high-profile patrols at Scotland’s railway stations. But they say their presence is to reassure the public and not a reaction to a specific threat. . .” Daily Record
“Tension grows on terror threat: There were police officers on the platforms of Edinburgh?s Waverley station yesterday, a lot of police officers, patrolling in pairs, strolling through the concourse, watching as the train doors opened. In Glasgow there were more officers, and in London, and Manchester, and all the other major cities in Britain. They were there not to counter a specific threat, but simply to be seen, to provide a visible presence to reassure passengers in the wake of the Madrid bombings, and to send out a message to the bombers that Britain is taking the danger seriously. . .” Scotsman
Posted by MM on Fri 19th Mar 2004 at 2:06 pm