I completely agree with Kirsty Brimelow that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised from the age of 10 to 14 (Jailing children does not make us safer – we need to get rid of this Dickensian delusion, 11 July). Also, that many more children could be diverted away from the criminal justice system. In the 1980s, I was director of the Northampton juvenile liaison bureau, a multi-disciplinary team that was successful in diverting more than 80% of the children between the ages of 10 to 17 who were offending away from the criminal justice system by employing informal methods of control, support and care, including restorative justice.
It gained a national reputation and became a model for the creation of youth-offending teams. Research revealed no increase in youth offending or repeat offences as a result of this policy. Due to the reduction in the number of juvenile court sittings and fewer children being processed through the criminal justice system, it saved in today’s money nearly £2m per year in Northampton alone and avoided children acquiring criminal convictions and criminal records. Research also found that the biggest impact on preventing further offending by the majority of children was being caught, spending a night in police cells, and the consequences of having to face parents.
Jim Crook
Stillington, North Yorkshire
