The Intensive Supervision & Surveillance (ISS) Programme is a special sentence for serious or prolific young offenders who are at risk of being sent to custody. It helps very troubled young people to turn their lives around.

ISS can be part of Bail Supervision and Support, or it can be part of a sentence made by a Court. Some young people who are finishing custody sentences also go on ISS to help them resettle in their community.

The North Yorkshire ISS service provides 3 months of High Intensity supervision (at least 25 hours each week, supported by a home curfew and electronic tagging) for each young offender. If they stay out of trouble, they reduce to 5-10 hours of weekly supervision for another 3 months.

During this time, the young person is closely monitored by ISS and YJS staff, by their local Police and by an electronic tag locked on their ankle. Failure to co-operate with the rules means going back to court, very quickly, and if the young person doesn’t show enough commitment to the programme they might be sent to custody instead.

Every young person has their own plan, tailored to tackle the root causes of their offending behaviour. The assessment starts from the risk of re-offending, but includes their needs, capabilities, interests and aspirations.

Supervision is provided 365 days a year, often outside of office hours and at weekends, so that we can respond to the needs of young people and minimise the risk they may pose to others.

The ISS programme includes a mixture of face to face meetings and group activities, the main elements of this are:

• Understanding and Changing Offending Behaviour

• Developing Victim Awareness and Remorse

• Family Support or Independent Living Skills

• Education Training and Employment

• Restorative Justice, Reparation and Mediation

• Learning Positive New Sports & Leisure Activities

The North Yorkshire ISS uses various projects to help young offenders turn their lives around positively. Recent examples include:

• Making a DVD about the youth justice system, to describe what it’s like in court and in custody, and the help which young offenders need to get their lives under control.

• Doing reparation work (Community Payback) at a Scarborough Hospice; gardening projects in Harrogate and conservation work in the Thirsk area.

• Attending Knife Crime awareness sessions, including visits to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

Most of the young offenders who complete ISS in North Yorkshire reduce their offending (frequency and seriousness) and also get a happier, more positive future.