Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Thursday, 6 May 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 June 2004. It was answered by Paul Goggins (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 June 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of detention and training orders in preventing recidivism amongst young offenders.

Answer: Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of detention and training orders in preventing recidivism among young offenders. [172297] Paul Goggins: The Detention and Training Order (DTO) has been the main custodial sentence for young people aged 12 to 17 since April 2000. The first two years' operation of the DTO was the subject of research commissioned by the Youth Justice Board. This found some signs that supervisors were playing a very significant role in getting young offenders to address their offending behaviour. It is too early to assess the overall effectiveness of the sentence in preventing recidivism but we do expect shortly to be able to publish the first national reconviction figures.

Secondary information