In Channel 4’s forthcoming 30 Minutes: Making Our Kids Criminals (transmission Friday 24th February at 7.35pm) Professor Rod Morgan, the government’s appointed chair of the Youth Justice Board and Professor Al Aynsley-Green, England’s first Children’s Commissioner, question the government endorsed practice of naming and shaming of kids on ASBOs. They were speaking to Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, who in the film critiques the impact the government’s Respect agenda on kids.

Professor Rod Morgan, whose recent guidance on Anti Social Behaviour was endorsed by the Home Office, is troubled by the practice of naming and shaming: “It’s not the sort of thing that would be tolerated in most countries and I think it’s unfortunate that we have taken that route. It’s often counter productive.”

Last year the government appointed Professor Al Aynsley-Green as England’s first Children’s Commissioner. He advises the government on the views and interests of children, but he doesn’t think naming and shaming is in a child’s best interest.

“I’m very concerned about this because it is a breach of one of the UN Conventional Rights of the Child’s Articles. Children have the right to privacy, and I’m very alarmed why, when invitations are expressed through the media to get the local people to name and shame the young people. Particularly children under the age of criminal responsibility.” He wants to challenge the government’s stance on naming and shaming.

The government claims that Anti-Social behaviours and the publicity of them is about preventing bad behaviour and notifying the public. They are concerned about the demonisation of kids in society and stress their investment in kids.

Research shows that 71% of all press articles are negative, obsessed with youth crime, thugs, yobs and hoodies. Something Shami Chakrabarti believes is contributing to the demonisation of children in society. This is another issue that concerns the Children’s Commissioner.

“I think it affects both the older generation and younger generation, the incessant portrayal of children as thugs and hooligans and yobs reinforces the fears that the other generation has, … it influences political directions, it influences political policy and it certainly influences possibly changes in legislation.”

He is also concerned that “the incessant dispersal, the incessant pressure on ASBOs are generating alienation of a generation of young people from law and authority and that can only be seriously damaging to our society in the future, if we have a generation now who are children who grow up as adults who do not respect law and order and do not respect the power of authority.”

Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, formerly the most senior female judge in the country gave her first television interview for over 7 years, where she challenged any government to find new solutions to deal with younger children who commit minor persistent offences and have real problems at home. This would require giving more money to the social services:

“If a government was brave enough, any government was brave enough to see money in the long term well spent rather than requiring quick results before the next election then to put money in to preventing children from being offenders in middle age would be a very good way to spend the money of the public.”

She sees our attitude towards children as extraordinary: “either we see them as darling little things. They are blue eyed, golden haired, little girls, or fine upstanding little boys…On the other hand the child who offends particularly the child who offends seriously is not seen as a child at all, but as an emanation of evil, of someone who has got to be put away for years and years.”

One solution to the problem is found in Kid’s Company, a pioneering youth project run by Camila Batmanghelidjh. Her track-record in turning around the lives of kids has led to a government grant and visits from the leader of the opposition. But it doesn’t stop her speaking out about the Respect agenda which she sees as “adult bullying made legitimate” and she thinks that “the government is conning the public by delivering this anti social agenda”.

Responding to their comments, Shami Chakrabarti said: "Youth crime may be a significant problem but surely not youth itself? Summary justice and ever-broader police powers are sweeping up the innocent and the irritating along with the guilty. Its high time we asked difficult questions about whether the criminalisation of our kids is achieving more or less respect for the law in the long term."


30 Minutes: Making Our Kids Criminals

Transmission: Friday 24th February at 7.35 pm on Channel 4

PLEASE CREDIT CHANNEL 4

Notes to editors:

The 71% statistic comes from Mori research undertaken for the magazine ‘Young People Now’ which found that 71% of stories about them are negative and one in three focused on crime.

Press contact: Jen Corlew 07973 831 128 or Yad Luthra, 01323 815743, 07932 682780