News

As the manager of a youth offending team (Yot) I have been heartened by suggestions that Yots could be a blueprint for addressing adults' reoffending. Offering adult offenders the same type of rehabilitative, protective network of support that Yots offer young offenders would help local authorities stem the cycle of reoffending.

Most offenders will commit further crimes within two years of their release from prison. If behaviour is to be changed then the various services, including the prisons, must work together at a local level.

The Yot model is a successful one. It represents a relatively cheap, local, multi-agency team which works with individuals to address the causes of their offending, helping individuals to become self-aware members of the community. Yots also work with communities to prevent youth offending and antisocial behaviour.

But Yots cannot stand alone in ensuring councils provide a tangible level of assistance to the criminal justice system. However, by working with other directorates such as housing, education and community safety, councils could provide a powerful, joined-up service, at grass-roots level, to plug the dangerous gap in the route from prison to community.

There are barriers to overcome. For example, probation officers used to be respected members of local communities who were able to pull together local resources to stop offending. But the National Offender Management Service (Noms) has seen probation move from being a locally responsive service to part of a national, politically driven one.

While it is generally accepted that the criminal justice system has a low profile locally, the introduction of local criminal justice boards, which are responsible for achieving targets, should improve performance, build public confidence and ensure that all agencies work together on key priorities.

Reducing the unnecessary use of expensive and destructive custody is a key aim. But it can only be achieved if all local agencies, including the local council, follow the same agenda.

David Stonehouse is head of Havering's Yot and assistant secretary of the Association of Yot Managers.