Tough Time for Young Offenders
Britain confirmed its tough line on juvenile crime by unveiling controversial plans for a harsh new prison regime for young offenders. A pilot scheme along the lines of the United States’ “boot camps” is scheduled to begin next summer, putting 18 to 21-year-olds through a 16-hour day of military-style drill, physical exercise and kit inspection. Penal reform groups have condemned the scheme, saying that there is no evidence that boot camps stop young prisoners returning to crime. Britain imprisons a higher percentage of its juvenile population than any other country in western Europe. Some 21 per cent of the prison population is under 21, while in the Netherlands it is 15, France 11, and Sweden four per cent. Chris Stanley of the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders said: “Prisons make bad people worse. We need to concentrate on prevention and move away from the traditionally British punitive attitude. Locking up young offenders does not work.” He believes that emphasis should be placed on youth action groups and leisure activities. The trend in many European countries towards introducing reform by increasing the age of criminal responsibility has not been adopted in Britain, where it remains ten years of age. In Germany, Norway and Italy, young offenders are criminally responsible from the age of 14. In Austria and Sweden, the age is 15, and in Belgium 18. Even in countries such as Germany and Italy, which have seen a dramatic rise in juvenile crime, prison is seen as a last resort. Cases involving young people in Italy more than tripled between 1986 and 1991, as more turned to crime to pay for drugs. Children as young as 14 can be tried as adults in court, but magistrates try to avoid giving prison sentences. Only about one per cent of young criminals end up behind bars. In Holland, young people are rarely imprisoned. There are only 33 offenders behind bars per 100,000 of population, as against 94 in England and Wales. About 80 per cent of criminal cases involving juveniles are discharged. Young offenders are most likely to be despatched to schemes which stress community involvement and social responsibility. In France, where the age of criminal responsibility is 13, sanctions against young offenders range from surveillance under the parents’ control to confinement in a young detainees’ centre. The system in Sweden, where few young criminals reoffend, is among the most successful. Prison is the last resort even for 18 to 20-year-olds. Offenders under 20 who commit serious crimes are put into “children’s villages” which provide residential support not found in prison. Text C
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