Youth courts expansion 'on hold'

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Plans to expand Scotland's youth courts have been delayed for at least a year.

The courts, which were launched in Airdrie and Hamilton in 2003 to tackle youth crime and disorder, were to be rolled out across the country.

But the Scottish Government has announced it will await the outcome of a wider review of summary justice reforms before making a final decision.

The move was criticised by opposition parties, who said the SNP had previously supported the expansion.

The courts were originally established to offer a fast-track form of justice for youngsters aged between 15 and 17 and their victims.

'Empirical evidence'

At the time, ministers pledged to roll out youth courts where they were needed, subject to successful evaluation.

But a report by Audit Scotland last year questioned whether youth courts offered value for money.

Three new youth courts planned for Paisley, Kilmarnock and Dundee will be now put on hold pending the outcome of the review.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that while there was anecdotal evidence to suggest the original pilots at Hamilton and Airdrie were progressing well, the government had to act on the basis of "empirical" evidence.

Mr MacAskill said he wanted to ensure funding was available

Mr MacAskill added: "The review is not due to report until 2009. I think I can hold off until 2009, and we make sure that we have the funds available then.

"We're in 2008. Let's hold off, see that the empirical evidence backs up the anecdotal evidence and then we can act on the basis of all the facts."

But Labour accused the SNP of trying to find excuses to shelve the project because it could not afford it.

Labour's justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: "The SNP had supported the roll-out and demanded it while we were in government, so it really is not good enough now that they're in charge of the budget and they're not prepared to fund it.

"Getting them (young offenders) into court quickly has proven to be very effective indeed in reducing offending.

"The offenders services budget which this comes out of has not been properly funded and they're now trying to find excuses not to roll out a successful project."

A Scottish Government spokesman dismissed the claims, saying a longer period of evaluation was required to make a meaningful assessment of the project.

The specialist courts deal with cases where a young person's background and circumstances suggest that a referral would be appropriate to enhance community safety and reduce the risk of re-offending.