A NEW system of dealing with young people who commit crime is proving to be a success with only a handful of offenders having had to return to court for breaking the terms of their contract.

In the first four months of the Youth Offender Panels, which came into operation in April, only four out of 143 young people referred to the panel have had to go back to court.

The panels which are run by the Youth Justice Service, work with young people who plead guilty in a youth court and have no previous convictions. Less formal than a court hearing, the case is heard before a panel of volunteers from the local area and a professional from the youth offending team.

Victims of the crime are then encouraged to attend the panel hearing and can have a say as to what the final fine should be. A programme is then drawn up with the offender and their parents and the person's progress monitored. Referral order co-ordinator Kevin Jones said: "The main aim of youth panels is to nip offending in the bud and steer young people away from crime."

Anyone interested should contact Mr Jones on 01992 556334.

August 20, 2002 14:30