Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDeputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy has unveiled a new Youth Justice White Paper proposing significant reforms to the youth justice system, aiming to deter young people from crime by increasing accountability for parents and carers. A central element of the reforms involves strengthening parenting orders, legal instruments that mandate parents into counselling or guidance, or impose financial penalties, following a dramatic decline in their use from over a thousand in 2009/10 to just 33 in the last financial year. The proposals also include piloting new youth intervention courts, which will combine judges and support services to address underlying issues leading to youth crime, and provide tailored health and education interventions for young offenders. Further plans championed by Mr Lammy involve an annual £15.4 million investment over three years to support 12,000 children at risk of entering the youth justice system, alongside a consultation on ending the lifelong disclosure requirement for childhood criminal convictions. While Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza welcomed the White Paper and its focus on education and diversion from crime, the Conservatives, represented by Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy, expressed scepticism about the government's ability to effectively reform youth justice. In fullMajor youth justice crackdown could mean parents face repercussions for their child’s crimesThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Justice secretary’s white paper will overhaul youth justice rules and could end lifelong criminal records for under-18s

Reforms aim to deter young people from a life of crime by placing more accountability on carers