War On Youth Crime Is ‘Demonising Teens’
An expert involved in Tony Blair’s plans to transform the youth justice system has branded the policy a shameful failure. Instead of tackling the causes of youth crime, it was ‘demonising’ and ‘criminalising’ vulnerable young people. The damning verdict by Rob Allen, who has been a member of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) since it was set up a year after Blair’s 1997 election victory, comes in a report seen by The Observer to be published next month. Allen, who heads the International Centre for Prison Studies at King’s College, London, is stepping down after his maximum of two four-year terms on the board.
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