Government wrong to criminalise young people

Government plans to increase jail terms for young offenders after a  spate of teen shootings have been criticised by youth justice experts.

Home Office lawyers are currently looking into strengthening gun laws, and are working in conjunction with the London Mayor’s Office on how to tackle the issue. Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to host a gun crime summit this week. The Prime Minister told the BBC last week that the lower age limit for a mandatory five-year prison sentence for carrying a gun should be reduced from 21 to 17, and that being a member of a gang should be an aggravating factor in sentencing.

However, former Youth Justice Board (YJB) chair Rod Morgan, who resigned from his post last month, spoke out against increasing jail sentences for young people. Writing in The Guardian this week he says criminalising children and young people is “criminogenic”.

“Cluttering up courts with minor offenders deflects the system from devoting more attention to persistent, serious offenders whose risk of reoffending is high,” he says. “We should be spending more on early preventive work with children at risk and their parents. In recent years, the YJB has had no option but to spend seven times as much on custody as on early prevention schemes, the cost benefits of which are proven.”