THE expression ‘feral youth’ is a powerful one which, alas, is all too appropriate for some of the harder cases who trouble the general public, our police officers and our courts.

Like it or not, there are some youngsters who acquire the habit of offending at an early age and then run riot – in the knowledge that even if they are caught and punished their names will not be made public as long as they are below the age of 18.

It is, of course, right and proper that young offenders should be given every chance to put their lives back on the right track. Anonymity can be a part of this process because it prevents a young person being labelled and stigmatised.

That said, there are individuals who are impervious to all attempts to treat them with consideration. In extreme cases – especially those involving repeated violent behaviour – the law’s prohibition of naming and shaming is likely to do more harm than good.

This is the view taken by Deputy Trevor Pitman, a former youth worker who no doubt has a more comprehensive understanding of the spectrum of behaviour among the Island’s young people than the average man in the street.

However, although Deputy Pitman believes that naming and shaming has a role to play in combating serious youth crime and has lodged a proposition to remove the blanket ban on identifying those under 18, he is not recommending a naming free-for-all.

His proposition relates only to youngsters over the age of 12 who have been found guilty of committing serious assaults. And even in such cases the court should, in the Deputy’s opinion, be able to use its discretion on naming if factors such as learning problems complicate sentencing.

There would undoubtedly be young criminals who would continue to shrug their shoulders and react with indifference to the threat of being named. There would also be a few who would relish the notoriety. Nevertheless, in a majority of instances publicity would be very unwelcome indeed.
More importantly, the threat of public shaming would have an important deterrent effect.

With this in mind, the States should give careful consideration to Deputy Pitman’s proposals. Were they accepted they would be no panacea for our youth crime issues, but they could well play a significant part in curbing a growing and troubling problem.