The Labour Party has today launched its crime and justice manifesto ‘A better plan to secure safer communities‘.  As well as focusing on anti-social behaviour, child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, and terrorism, part 2 of the manifesto says that a Labour governemnt “will extend the YJB model by piloting a new approach to 18-20 offenders incentivising Local Authorities, police and probation to work together  to identify those at risk of drifting into criminal activity and, where possible, divert them into a more constructive way of life”.

According to the manifesto: “The last Labour government’s reforms of youth justice, which required agencies to collaborate in preventing youth offending, have reduced both youth crime and the numbers of young people in prison …  We will work to embed restorative justice right across the youth justice system. And we will better coordinate activities across central and local government and its associated agencies to cut crime and re-offending amongst women. We know drug and alcohol addiction continues to be a major cause of crime.”