Youth reoffending rates in Doncaster are some of the lowest in the country

Doncaster now has some of the lowest youth reoffending rates in the country and less children are entering the criminal justice system.
PolicePolice
Police

A report seen by councillors shows that Doncaster has now the ‘11th lowest’ rate of children committing a second offence in England and Wales following a large reduction on the previous year.

The number of children who commit a first offence is also marginally down on the previous recorded year.

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Since setting up the Doncaster Youth Justice Partnership- which is made up of the council, children’s services trust, South Yorkshire Police, NHS CCG and the probation service – first time entrants over the last five years have ‘fallen dramatically’.

Coun Lani-Mae BallCoun Lani-Mae Ball
Coun Lani-Mae Ball

Speaking at a recent meeting, Coun Lani-Mae Ball, cabinet member for education, young people and schools, said: “The custody rate has once again remained very low, reducing further still in the past year.

“This means that when children enter the criminal justice system, they receive the help they need to lead pro-social, healthy lives in the future and the vast majority do not go on to reoffend in the future.

“The Youth Offending Service achieves these results through their relationship-based, trauma informed practice model, which recognises that these are children first and offenders second.”

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Coun Ball added that the service also used speech therapy and counselling as effective methods in stopping young people reoffending.

Children’s bosses said this level of therapeutic engagement was not offered in lots of areas in the UK and this was only possible in Doncaster because of the resources put in by the council.

Figures show that the Doncaster Triage Panel received a total of 213 referrals from South Yorkshire Police between April 1, 2020 and March 31 2021 and 125 received a ‘community resolution’ with just one child getting prosecuted.

Latest figures show that first time entrants into the criminal justice system has fallen from a high of 426 children in 2016 to 213.

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Reoffending rates for young people were well below the England average at 27 per cent and lower than similar demographic areas in the region.

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