Nursery World - Identify children who are at the greatest risk of growing up to be criminals

Nursery staff could be trained to identify children who are at the greatest risk of growing up to be criminals under recommendations made in a report by the Home Office. A leaked copy of the confidential 250-page report, Crime Reduction Review, was revealed in the Sunday Times on 12 June. The newspaper claims it was completed in May 2004 but never published. The report includes research findings that children who had displayed bullying behaviour and were not under control by the age of three were four times more likely to be convicted of a violent offence in later life. In addition, 85 per cent of inmates in young offenders' institutions were bullies at school. The report says that if nursery staff identified potential offenders early enough, 'soft' measures such as improving their reading, language and social skills could be used to change their behaviour.

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