To ask the Minister of Justice for his assessment of the effectiveness of Youth Conferencing; and, of the number of participants in Youth Conferencing, how many have reoffended within six months, in each of the last three years.

Whilst a reduction in reoffending is the desired goal, the youth conference in itself is not just another method for reducing offending, but also a means of giving the victim and the community a voice in the process. In Northern Ireland we have a high rate of direct victim participation, with victims participating in 46% of conferences in 2013/14. Victims are given the opportunity to have a direct input, have their views heard and to feel part of the process. This is often not the case with “traditional” justice and is a valuable addition to what can be a very difficult experience for those who have been hurt and harmed. In 2013/14 99% of victims who took part in Youth Conferencing reported satisfaction with the process.

Youth Conferencing is focused on the delivery of bespoke plans aimed at reducing offending. The plans are also designed to improve the young person’s life chances and to make direct amends to the victim where appropriate.

In relation to reoffending the Department of Justice does not, as yet, hold a continuous series of reoffending information for the period in question. The Department has recently revised the methodology used to calculate reoffending analysis. The first publication in this new series was published in June 2014 and provided one year reoffending information for a cohort of offenders given a community disposal or released from custody during the 2010/11 financial year.

Across the adult and youth 2010/11 cohorts, 416 individuals had received at least one Youth Conference Order. Of these 180 (43%) had reoffended within six months of receiving the order.