It has never made much sense for young offenders to be locked up on remand or released on bail without being offered any sort of support. The chances of them re-offending in those circumstances must be high. It is far too easy for them to be tempted to revert to the behaviour which got them into trouble in the first place, perhaps reinforced by their contact with fellow offenders in prison.

That is why we welcomed the idea of the Community Remands Project when it was launched earlier this year by the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO). It proposed a way of breaking the cycle by offering young people guidance and support while they are on bail and taking a more holistic approach to their lives rather than merely tackling the offence - for example, by helping those whose crimes are prompted by dependence on drugs toconfront their addiction.

The scheme seems to be fulfilling its promise, with particular success being claimed for the volunteer adult mentoring scheme. It takes a special sort of person to come forward and take a young offender under their wing, yet such is the interest in the scheme in Bradford that there is now a waiting list.

The worry has to be that the project is set to run for only two years with funding from the National Lottery. If it proves the success that early results suggest, it is important that more money is found to help it to continue - money which, given the high cost of crime to society, should be a worthwhile investment.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.