Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme

The ISSP Programme is designed to work with the 3% of persistent and prolific young offenders who are believed to be responsible for 25% of youth crime. The Programme strives to instil a lasting change for both the young people and their families, through the principle that a reduction in offending is likely to be achieved if opportunities to overcome any existing disadvantages are offered and supported.

The approach of the ISSP team is to provide help and support to the young people and their families that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This support is offered by a small number of individuals from the local community. A young person on an ISSP can expect to undertake reparative activities designed to restore the costs of crime and reintegrate them back into the community.

ISSP is the most rigorous, non custodial intervention available for young offenders who meet either the ISSP criteria or commit an offence on the shortcuts list. As its name suggests, it combines unprecedented levels of community-based surveillance with a comprehensive andsustained focus on tackling the factors that contribute to the young person's offending behaviour.

The scheme targets the most active repeat young offenders and also those who commit the most serious crimes. The main aims of the programme are to provide a robust, practical substitute for custody and work with the young person to reduce their offending behaviour whilst also meeting the needs of the community.

The ISSP team comes under the umbrella of the Suffolk Youth Offending Team (YOS), and is divided into 3 geographic teams (Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St.Edmunds). The programmes in the 3 areas are broadly similar with only few small variations.

Below are links to some of the activities carried out with the young people as part of their ISSP’s: