Young offenders: 'Early intervention idea could work wonders'

SEVERAL Evening News articles this week have clearly illustrated the problems society has in dealing with unruly teenagers.

On Wednesday we reported how the authorities and the government appear to be losing the battle on cracking down on persistent young offenders, with ten Lothian teenagers under the age of 16 responsible for committing in excess of 400 crimes in a single year.

Taking such troublemakers off the streets and locking them up might be an appealing solution, but a dire shortage of secure accommodation to house them in effectively rules this out.

Even if it was an option, the high re-offending rate after release among those who are sent to secure accommodation or prison suggests that loss of freedom often does little to turn around the lives of those who are already on the road to becoming career criminals.

The alternative is to try to nip the wrongdoing in the bud, and those who favour early intervention will have been delighted to read of two other innovative projects reported on by the News.

Yesterday, we revealed that the army was intervening with youngsters who showed signs of going off the rails by giving them the opportunity to attend week-long "boot camps".

During the initial course four of 19 youths were unable to cope with being subjected to military discipline and dropped out before the end.

Some expressed an interest in forging a career in the armed forces, while others said they would be keen to sign up for college courses. From that point of view, the experiment must be hailed a success.

As we reveal today, one Edinburgh school is seeking to weed out and deal with unruly children at an even earlier age.

Parents who utilise the "naughty step" or "naughty chair" in the home when calming down their children will appreciate the merits of the "quiet room" established at Niddrie Mill School.

Children with behavioural problems in class are sent there to reflect and meditate. The Retreat room has already been hailed an outstanding success in turning around the behaviour of many children.

It would be easy to scoff at these seemingly "softly-softly" methods of dealing with unruly children, but the evidence suggests that early intervention does work. Conversely, does anyone really believe that current methods of tackling older kids once they have problems are making our streets any safer and more pleasant?