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Friday, November 28, 2003
In a lecture to the Howard League in Edinburgh on the 25th November, Cedric Fullwood (Member of the Youth Justice Board, Chair of the Cheshire Probation Board, member of Lord
Coulsfield?s Inquiry into Alternatives to Prison), refected on his experience of youth justice reforms in England and Wales, and summarised some of the key issues in the ‘single agency’ debate in the light of the agenda for reform in Scotland set out in the Partnership Agreement.Mr Fullwood urged Scotland to adopt the broader aim of the prevention of offending rather than the narrower ‘to reduce reoffending rates’ and while not diminishing the ‘utter significance of custodial and community staff working closely together’ he argued that ‘it is the other partnerships which are of greater importance to turning offenders away from crime’.
He said: ‘A comprehensive strategy must, in my view, combine prevention (including diversion), community, help in all its forms, targeted public protection involving where essential new technology, and resettlement [. . .] An emphasis on ?correctional services?, and a preoccupation with significant organisational change to achieve a single agency, would detract from this comprehensive strategy, at a crucial time when there is much to be learned from such achievements as the Youth Justice Reforms. Let me stress that I am not against organisational change. For me there are three levels of such change: more effective liaison between existing services;commitment (in the case of the youth justice reforms, backed by legislation) to creating new structures to deliver better services; full blown mergers or newly constructed ?agencies?. It is the middle course that I would advocate.’
Full text of lecture from Howard League web site.
See also
A Partnership for a Better Scotland: Partnership Agreement.
“We will publish proposals for consultation for a single agency to deliver custodial and non-custodial sentences in Scotland with the aim of reducing reoffending rates”Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
Posted by MM
on Fri 28th Nov 2003
at 7:31 pm
Criminal justice reform Criminal Justice Social Work Young People
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