- Youth Crime Prevention Project

Youth Crime Prevention Project

 The big issue behind this project is keeping children from crime, making them aware of the pitfalls and dangers of criminal activities turning into a life of crime.

 Last year we began to research funding under the Children’s Act to see what funds are made available from Central Government to Local Authorities and how those funds are expended on projects designed to tackle youth crime. 

 ”Section 40 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 makes it a duty of each top tier local authority, after consultation with the Chief Officer of Police or Police Authority, District Councils, Probation Board and Primary Care Trusts to formulate and implement for each year a Youth Justice Plan setting out how youth justice services in their area are to be provided and funded. The current National Standards for Youth Justice (2009) also make it a responsibility for each local authority area to have a Youth Crime Prevention Strategy outlining how local partners will prevent children and young people from becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour, and support their parents, carers and families, in respect of the duties set out within the Children Act (1989) for local authorities to “encourage juveniles not to offend, take reasonable steps to reduce the need to bring criminal proceedings against juveniles and to avoid the need for children to be placed in secure accommodation.”

 The first task, now completed, has been to formulate a serious of questions to put to local authorities to glean the necessary information.