Young offenders: children in need of protection

The Institute of Public Policy Research recommended that the government in England and Wales should establish a unified youth justice system, based on the Scottish Reporter system, for assessing the nature of intervention needed by young offenders. This article examines the Scottish youth justice system, the French youth justice systems and the youth justice system in England and Wales. The article contends that in England and Wales there already exists an agency and a legislative framework, similar to the Scottish and French examples, which has the power to assess the nature of intervention needed by young offenders and which has the authority to require that appropriate welfare or support services be provided. Therefore a new legislative framework is unnecessary; instead attention should be paid to the proper resourcing of the current system.