Youth Offender Panels

Tackling youth crime in your neighbourhood

What is a youth offender panel?

Youth offender panels are a completely new way of dealing with young people who commit crimes.

Local people will take the lead in challenging young offenders to take responsibility for their actions and helping them to change their behaviour for good.

Panels will also give victims a chance to say how the crime has affected them and what might help put things right.

What are youth offender panels for?

These panels are special because they involve local people working with young offenders, their parents and victims.

Panel members will talk and listen to these key people and agree with the young offender a plan of action designed to put right the harm already done and prevent future offending.

Panels aim to:

Ensure young offenders take responsibility for their behaviour
Help put things right for the victim
Bring young people back into the law-abiding community

Who will be on the panels?

Each panel will have 2 community members who are volunteers from the local area and a professional from the local multi-agency youth offending team.

Who will the panel deal with?

Young offenders aged 10-17 who plead guilty and have not been convicted before. This is an important opportunity to nip offending in the bud at an early stage.

Who else will be at the meeting?

The young person's parents will be there along with any other adults who may be able to offer support and guidance.

The victim will normally be invited to attend in person and can bring someone with them to provide moral support.

Alternatively they can ask for their views to be taken into account or be represented by someone else at the panel meeting.

We are looking for you!

We need youth offender panel members who can represent their local community. That means men and women of any age (18 or over) and from every ethnic and social background.

We want people who are good at listening and talking. So if you have a degree from the university of life and a diploma in common sense, we are looking for you!

A full initial training programme will be provided and ongoing support and further training will also be available.

Will I be paid?

No. Community panel members are volunteers. You will not make money from being one, but equally you will not be out of pocket. Travel and childcare expenses will be paid.

You can make a difference|

Contact

Robert Harris

Youth Offending Team

Bridge House

150 London Road

Barking

IG11 8BB

Tel: 020 8227 3998

Fax: 020 8227 3690

Email: robert.harris@lbbd.gov.uk|