Target practice: sanction detection and the criminalisation of children

In the tick-box culture that has come to dominate the criminal justice world, some performance measures appear to have more influence on outcomes than others. The Youth Justice Board's (YJB's) target to effect a 10% reduction in the number of children in custody, in the three years from April 2005, remains unmet. At the end of March 2008, the juvenile secure population had risen by 10% over the relevant period, and – at 2,942 – stood at 22% above the figure of 2,408 required by the measure. By contrast, the Government's target to increase the number of ‘offences brought to justice’ (OBTJ), from 1.025m in 2002 to 1.25m in 2007/08, has proved rather easier to meet. In the year ending June 2007, 1.434m offences were dealt with by way of a recognised ‘sanction detection’ (reprimand, warning, caution, cannabis warning, penalty notice for disorder, charge or summons), a rise of 43% over the 2002 baseline (Home Office, 2007).