ABSTRACT
All the indications from recent research suggest that the punishment of young offenders, whatever its political or moral acceptability, is ineffective in preventing youth offending (Audit Commission 1996; Hawkins 1996; Howard League 1996). Once a juvenile is apprehended by the police and referred to the youth court, subsequent rehabilitation services, no matter how skilled, have been shown to have far less potential for success than if they had been applied before the youth’s overt contact with the law. Preventing young people from ever offending could therefore have a greater impact on the level of youth crime than any changes to the criminal justice system. The aim must be to identify children and young people who are at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity and changing their behaviour before bad habits take root.
