Summary:
This paper reports on London government’s work towards agreeing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government to enable more effective criminal justice outcomes for the Capital.
The MoU is designed to support a more joined up approach to addressing the offending behaviour of the following cohorts: prolific offenders, female offenders, young adult offenders and youth offenders.
The potential outcomes relating to youth justice reform are of particular importance for London local authorities, given boroughs’ front line role in the provision of youth offending services. A paper setting out what the youth justice reform proposition might entail in practice, is attached Appendix A. Its scope includes:
• Piloting an innovative approach to tackling youth offending, working across borough boundaries.
• Exploring a collaborative approach to redesigning funding arrangements for local youth offending services .
In the medium term, the proposed work to redesign youth justice funding arrangements could provide a platform for a fairer distribution of YJB funding, recognising that patterns of demand have changed over time. However, it also raises the prospect of turbulence in the levels of funding for local youth offending services.
Recommendation:
Members of the Executive are asked to:
1. Consider and comment on the progress of London government’s work towards a more devolved criminal justice service for London.
2. Consider, in particular, the specific proposals in relation to youth justice, which are set out in Appendix A.
3. Provide guidance on shaping the closing stages of negotiations with Government and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.
