Youth Justice

Specifically, the inquiry will explore:

• The targeting of resources, including the ability of youth offending teams and their multi-agency partners to operate effectively in the current economic climate, and early findings from the Youth Justice Pathfinder Initiatives.
• The use and effectiveness of available disposals, including restorative justice and custody as a last resort. • The role of the youth justice system in diverting at-risk young people away from first-time offending. 
• The evidence base for preventing offending and reducing re-offending and the extent to which this informs interventions in custody and the community. 
• The governance of the youth justice system, including the removal of joint responsibility from the former Department for Children, Schools and Families. 
• The extent to which the system is able to meet the needs of all offenders regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and mental health.

Call for evidence:

The Committee issued terms of reference for its earlier work on Youth Justice on 21 July 2011. Any submissions received in response will be used to inform the Committee’s new inquiry; those wishing to submit additional evidence are welcome to do so.

Written evidence should be in Word (no later than 2007) or rich text format with as little use of colour or logos as possible, and sent by e-mail to justicecommemo@parliament.uk.

The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.

The deadline for submissions is 23 March 2012. Submissions must address the terms of reference.
They should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum and should be no more than 3,000 words. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document must include an executive summary. Further guidance on the submission of evidence can be found at www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/witness.cfm

Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere, though previously published work can be referred to in a submission and submitted as supplementary material. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.

PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT COMMITTEES ARE NOT ABLE TO INVESTIGATE INDIVIDUAL CASES.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
For data protection purposes, it would be helpful if individuals wishing to submit written evidence sent their contact details in a covering letter or e-mail. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Further information 

• Read the previous Report
• Justice Committee
• Visiting Parliament: Watch Committees
• About Parliament: Select Committees