Heron wing opening at Feltham YOI

Today has been a very exciting day for me. I have spent a great deal of time over the last year working on a range of projects to reduce the drivers towards youth crime, the details of these plans can be read here.

One of the most complicated, ambitious and exciting of these plans was called Project Daedalus, this is our plan to introduce a new regime for young offenders' institutions and reduce the levels of youth re-offending.

I described this plan as complicated because its delivery involves a range of organisations, different levels of government and significant up front expenditure. I have worked closely with the Met Police, the Prison Service, Youth Justice Board, National Offender Management Service, Probation Service, local councils, London Development Agency and a number of voluntary sector organisations to put the plan in place. This morning we launched the plan.

Kit Malthouse, Pam Chesters and I joined Boris to officially open Heron Wing, the pilot for our new regime. Oh Jack Straw was there too.