The referral order was introduced in the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 as a new primary sentencing disposal for 10-17 year olds pleading guilty and convicted for the first time by the courts.Underpinning referral orders is for the panel to reach agreement with the offender on a programme of behaviour, the principal aim of which is the prevention of future re-offending.Referral orders are also intended to introduce the principles underlying restorative justice into the process.Panels, made up of volunteer representatives of the community and one Yot member, agree a 'contract' with the young offender.These contracts include reparation to the victim or wider community and programmes of activities designed primarily to prevent further offending.This report discusses the 18-month evaluation that was conducted in 11 pilot areas in England and Wales between March 2000 and August 2001.The evaluation team looked at the recruitment and training of community panel members, the implementation processes and the impact of referral orders on the agencies and individuals involved and on sentencing and offending.Gathering evidence from a wide variety of sources, the report discusses the attitudes of all parties involved in the process including magistrates, clerks, YOT staff, community panel members, offenders, parents and the victims of crime.The set-up of referral order teams and the nature of the work involved are also discussed in depth.Unlike some studies, the evaluation of the referral order pilots has developed in parallel with the management of the process and the production of good practice guides and official guidance.Thus, findings from the two previously published interim reports produced by the evaluation team have already been acted on and have strongly influenced the guidance and training produced by the Home Office.The development of referral order good practice has therefore moved forward in an iterative fashion, with the evaluation team's input pivotal at each stage of the development.
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