Helping young offenders

Sir, The study on mentoring of young offenders (report, Feb 6) analysed specific mentoring programmes after only a short period but it recognised that they take time to become established and work. The programmes proved expensive in relation to the benefits so far delivered, but there were still benefits, indeed a third of the young people entered or re-entered education or training. Three quarters of the young people thought mentoring “very useful” and 80 per cent would have liked the mentoring to continue for longer. At their follow-up interviews, 56 per cent of the young people thought mentoring had improved their prospects.

The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales knows from an accumulation of evidence that trusting relationships between supportive adults (volunteers or professional workers), and young people with challenging behaviour or from damaged backgrounds can have immensely positive effects. Providing young people with opportunities and building self-esteem, as mentoring can do, is crucial to improving their life chances and providing law-abiding alternatives to offending and anti-social behaviour.