A NATIONAL scheme to cut re-offending and re-conviction rates among young adult offenders is being piloted in North Yorkshire.

Under the scheme, offenders, aged between 18 and 20, will be given high intensity community sentences combining punishment, rehabilitation and reparation to change and control their behaviour patterns.

The eventual aim is to get the young offenders back into employment or education.

North Yorkshire's Probation Service has been selected to run the national pilot for the project, which is known as Intensive Change and Control.

The county's probation area board will be working with the police, Securicor and Job Centre Plus staff to try to stop young adults from re-offending and reintegrate them into the community in the long term.

After they are sentenced, offenders will be required to take part in 25 hours of structured activities every week.

This will involve community punishment hours, electronic monitoring (tagging) and attendance at offending behaviour programmes.

There will also be sessions with staff from Job Centre Plus to look at employment, education and training. Each offender will be assigned a personal mentor who will be responsible for supporting them through the activities.

This work will also bring together a number of voluntary organisations with specialist skills and expertise to work with offenders to tackle a range of offence related problems.

The programme is already being supported by Safer York Partnership and North Yorkshire Crime and Disorder Partnerships.

Roz Brown, chief officer of North Yorkshire Probation Area, said: "I am delighted that North Yorkshire Probation Area has been selected to run this programme and has the chance to make a substantial contribution to reducing reconviction rates amongst people in this age group."

Terry Ewington, chairman of the North Yorkshire Probation Board, said: "North Yorkshire Probation Area Board welcomes this opportunity to deliver the Intensive Change and Control scheme for the courts.

"This work builds on the success of the Persistent Offender Project, which is currently running in York, and which ensures that this service is able to offer the courts a range of intensive sentences."