The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich

My Lords, I was encouraged by the Government’s White Paper on youth crime, which highlighted the relationship between complex needs and the experiences of youth justice. However, the increasing prevalence of such needs underscores the necessity of retaining the specialist expertise of the Youth Justice Board. In my own diocese, I have seen how those needs can draw children into crime; for example, through county lines. Many young people who come into contact with these networks are not simply offenders but often victims of exploitation and trauma. This is particularly true for Suffolk’s looked-after children and care leavers, who are at much greater risk of poor mental health and social exclusion, and are over-represented in the justice system. County lines activity provides a clear example of the importance of meeting complex needs with specialist expertise. The Youth Justice Board has long held this unique expertise, championing a child-first approach which prioritises prevention and safeguarding. We should therefore be cautious about transferring significant functions away from it. The White Paper also discusses the importance of a joined-up approach to youth crime prevention. For victims who rightly expect accountability from our justice system, bringing Ministers closer to decision-making is essential for maintaining public confidence. But the transfer of key functions uniquely to the Ministry of Justice risks overlooking the intersection of other issues commonly faced by vulnerable children. The Youth Justice Board itself found that 72% of children sentenced in the youth justice system had mental health concerns, and 71% had speech, language and communication concerns. Issues with education, health and social care can therefore compound, making youth offending more likely. If we are to have real progress in the prevention of youth crime, all relevant government departments must be given a central stake in youth justice. If the Youth Justice Board is to play a greater role in driving improvement, it must be equipped to collaborate effectively across government. More broadly, when debating these reforms, we must resist the misconception that youth justice is characterised by undue leniency. In reality, the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is one of the lowest in Europe. It is central to my Christian faith that every individual is made in the image of God and that nobody is beyond hope or redemption. The criminalisation of children and the entrenching of disadvantage through punitive measures can do much to damage the prospect that they might grow into citizens with a stake in our society. Young people must be given the tools to develop new patterns and to flourish in the society that they will one day help build. This is something that the Youth Justice Board has historically facilitated through restorative justice. Victims want justice, but often they also want to know that what has happened to them will not happen to anyone else. Restorative justice gives victims a voice and enables offenders to confront the consequences of their actions and to turn their lives around. I therefore ask the Minister to clarify what place restorative justice will have in the Government’s plans for youth justice.