Young people and crime

The Ministry of Justice has published the annual Youth Justice Statistics for 2013/14.

Key findings include that:

• There were 2,932 assaults by young people in custody during 2013/14, an increase of seven percent on the previous year;
• Although overall self-harm incidents fell by five percent, the number of incidents per 100 young people increased from 5.2 in 2012/13 to 6.6 in 2013/14;
• There were 5,714 incidents of restraint in 2013/14, a fall of 12 percent on the previous year, however the number of restraints per 100 young people increased from 23.8 in 2012/13 to 28.4 in 2013/14;
• Overall offending by young people has fallen by eight percent in the past year;
• The number of first-time entrants into the youth justice system fell by a quarter; andd
• The average population of young people under 18 in custody in 2013/14 was 1,216, a fall of 21 percent on 2012/13.

To view the full statistics visit www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/399379/youth-justice-annual-stats-13-14.pdf.

The Early Intervention Foundation has published guidance for commissioners on maximising the impact of mentoring programmes to reduce gang involvement and youth violence.

To download the guidance visit www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Guide-to-Commissioning-Mentoring-Programmes-FINAL-VERSION-1.pdf.