The proposed abolition of the Youth Justice Board

Book excerpt: The Government has proposed that the Youth Justice Board (YJB) should be abolished, and its inclusion in the Public Bodies Bill is currently the subject of 'ping pong' between the two Houses of Parliament. The YJB is responsible for: advising the Justice Secretary on the operation of the youth justice system; monitoring the performance of that system; purchasing places for, and placing, children and young people remanded or sentenced to custody; disseminating effective practice; making grants to local authorities and others; and commissioning research and publishing information. The Government wants to transfer YJB's functions to a Youth Justice Division of the Ministry of Justice, arguing that this will restore direct Ministerial accountability. The Committee point out that if that does happen, certain steps must be taken to ensure that the new Division: is not part of NOMS; benefits from the establishment of a genuinely and visibly independent Advisory Board; improves the dissemination of best practice; and exercises 'light touch' oversight of Youth Offending Teams.