Wendy Alexander is backing plans to introduce a youth court in Paisley.

The Scottish Executive is considering future locations for the specialist courts, which aim to reduce the frequency and seriousness of offending by 16, 17 and some 15 year olds.

Paisley, Kilmarnock and Dundee are set to benefit from the new courts following successful trials in Hamilton and Airdrie.

Youth courts operate in a standard Sheriff Court but have several distinct features, including:

 

• A fast track process, meaning young offenders will normally appear in court within 2 weeks of charge

 

• A dedicated Procurator Fiscal team which will result in offenders facing all outstanding charges against them (rather than appearing numerous times for one offence each time)

 

• A dedicated social work team

Ms Alexander said: “I’m delighted that Paisley could soon have a youth court.

“The Executive has ploughed record levels of investment into youth justice services – now £63 million per year – and young people’s offending is now being tackled more quickly as a result of that investment and reforms in the Children’s Hearings system.

“Crime in Renfrewshire and throughout the country is falling and our communities are benefiting from tough laws on anti-social behaviour.

“However, there are still too many persistent young offenders.

“A youth court will tackle this problem and enable justice to be dispensed more quickly.”

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said: “On the strength of the success of the pilots, I have decided to provide additional resources with a view to extending the benefits of the youth courts more widely.

“Initial studies suggest that Kilmarnock, Paisley and Dundee could benefit from having a youth court. We will now be working with the Sheriff Principal and local agencies to assess the feasibility of establishing youth courts at these locations.”