Really pleased that this site has been launched. We and the site designers Provokateur have spent many months trying to get it just right. In terms of Youth Justice, the most common topic of conversation is still the story and fate of the Edlington boys. I discussed with Shauneen Lambe of Just for Kids Law how the younger boy was portrayed to be a monster, which is a pity since no child (or adult for that matter) is. 

There is a story in the press that child welfare charities are calling for their sentence to be extended, though it is not clear which charities they are. I’m not sure how the sentence could be extended, since it is indeterminate anyway. But the minimum tariff – 5 years – seems definitely long enough. Even a month is a long time in the life of a child. They may well have completely turned their lives around within a couple of years. And if the Parole Board doesn’t think they are ready to be released after five years, they will be kept in.

Comments: