Pre-reading questions:
- What is the legal age in your country?
- Why do you think people younger than the legal age commit crimes?
Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveils her plan to hold some youth offenders to schools rather than youth jails. This plan is part of the government’s efforts to prioritize education to rehabilitate and reduce re-offending. Truss said she will commit an additional £15 million a year for this project. Two schools will be launched where youth offenders will study core subjects such as English and Math.
Youth offenders will also have access to work training and internship programs to make them productive upon release. These plans are part of the government’s response to a review that says 40% of offenders under 18 have not been into school since they were 14. The population of youth offenders have fallen below 1,000 in recent years but re-offending rates have risen, with 2 out of 3 young offenders committing a new crime within a year of release.
Vocabulary:
unveil- [verb] to reveal
youth offender- [noun] a young person who commits a crime
prioritize- [verb] to treat (something/someone) as very important
rehabilitate- [verb] restore in a good state or condition
launch- [verb] start; set in motion
productive- [adjective] having positive results
Comprehension Questions:
- What does Justice Secretary Liz truss plan to do?
- How much will be added to the budget for this project?
- Who will have access to work training and internship programs?
- What is this project a response to?
- How many offenders under 18 have not been attending school since they were 14?
Express Your Opinion:
- What do you think of Liz Truss’ project? Discuss.
- How can the community help prevent the youth from committing crimes?
- Why do you think some offenders repeat their crimes?