THOUSANDS of young offenders will be asked to face up to how their behaviour affects the community as restorative justice is introduced today.
Glasgow is the first city in Scotland where the principle will be placed at the heart of criminal justice strategy, with just under (pounds) 1m in funding over two years from the executive.
All except the most serious offenders, aged between 12 and 15, will be targeted by the system, which features measures to get them to face their
victims.
It will mark the end of the police superintendent's ''dressing down'' caution for petty crime, which some believe was ineffective in preventing youngsters from re-offending.
Instead, police officers trained in restorative justice will caution youngsters and examine why they committed the offence and the consequences of their actions.
More serious offences will involve a meeting with parents and the victim, which could be an individual or a company.
Those showing signs of repeat offending will participate in a four-week course with three two-hour sessions each week designed to challenge their behaviour.
Alan Speirs, head of the restorative justice service at Glasgow City Council, said he believed half of the 5000 young people who committed minor offences every year in the city would eventually be dealt with under the system.
A pilot project which saw 70 youngsters go through the system in the past month had proved successful with just four refusing to comply, he said.
Jim Coleman, deputy leader of Glasgow City Council, said: ''It's a completely new approach to dealing with offenders under 16 in Glasgow and will significantly improve the quality of life for thousands of residents as well as preventing many young people progressing to more serious offending in later life.''
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