A high chance of re-offending

Nearly two thirds of children convicted will commit more crime within a year

NEARLY two thirds of all children convicted of a criminal offence go on to commit another crime within a year.

Data from the Ministry of Justice shows there were 190 offenders aged 10-17 in Portsmouth in the latest figures available.

Of the 190 who received a conviction, caution, reprimand or warning, 117 children went on to commit a second crime.

That is a rate of 62 per cent – much higher than the 39 per cent average across England and Wales.

An inspection of Portsmouth Youth Offending Team, in 2015, found that it had made improvements but noted the number of youngsters entering the criminal justice system had continued to rise.

Inspectors found YOT had a ‘satisfactory’ approach to cutting re-offending but added: ‘The variety of reparation activities was not always meaningful to children and young people. Outcomes were not fully measured.

‘The civic centre setting for the delivery of some interventions was problematic.’

Work is under way to make Portsmouth a restorative city, with a push to make sure children are not put into the criminal justice system unnecessarily.

Practitioners working with young people have said the latest figures are a shame.

And a spokesman for Portsmouth City Council said: ‘We’re aware that Portsmouth's reoffending rate, influenced by a relatively small number of young people, is too high, and are working extremely hard to drive it down.’

Police initiatives include Hampshire Community Court, which puts young offenders in a room with their victims, where appropriate.

It comes as hundreds of adult criminals in the city have also been re-offending within a year of being convicted.

The data shows a third of the 1,852 adults released from jail cautioned or handed a non-custodial conviction at court between October 2016 and September 2017 in Portsmouth committed at least one further crime within 12 months.

Between them, the 611 re-offenders racked up 3,137 new offences – an average of five each.

They had each committed 30 previous crimes on average, according to the data.