http://www.holyrood.com/nav/news/stories/story.asp?story=just224
"There is rising doubt about the Executive’s approach to youth justice among social workers and opposition parties. Key to the doubts is the approach taken to persistent young offenders (PYOs), children who are referred to the Children’s Reporter for five or more offences in a six-month period. The Executive has pledged to reduce the number of PYOs by 10 per cent by 2008, but instead of looking likely to reach that target, the Executive is becoming increasingly embarrassed by rising numbers of those classified as PYOs."
