Serving their sentences

Two black eyes, bruised ribs and a cut face. This was what licensee Ray Sutton was left with after he refused to serve a 17-year-old in his Bolton pub, the Last Orders. The teenager - who had lain in wait until Ray took the dog out at closing time and then kicked him to the ground - got off more lightly. Rather than face prosecution, he was given a police caution and sent home.

"The police said he had admitted it and said he was sorry and because he didn't have a criminal record there was nothing they could do. I said you mean he hasn't been caught before," says Ray. "I wasn't pleased but what can you do? They had made a decision which I didn't agree with - to let someone get away with it. He should have gone to court. I feel let down and I'm not the only one."

Ray's story is just one of many incidents of people caught committing crimes on licensed premises and escaping with a ticking-off.

And the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) believes it is time for this to change. The idea of conditional cautions - where the offender has to compensate the victim or wider society - is catching on as a more appealing alternative and is being actively encouraged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

"As far as the police are concerned, a caution is a punishment," says Lee Le Clercq, BBPA regional secretary in the North, who recently discussed the issue in a meeting with the CPS.

"But to all intents and purposes it's a slap on the wrist. For something as serious as the attack on Ray Sutton, we thought it wasn't right. It strikes us that this idea of a conditional caution is better because the offender has to do something to compensate the victim."

Examples of 'conditions' offenders might have to fulfill include cleaning up a pub garden or fixing a window they have broken.

In Lancashire, where conditional cautions have been used most extensively, criminals can be forced to enrol on an alcohol awareness course. Anyone who fails to fulfill their terms will be hauled before the courts.

The idea of offenders giving something back to society clearly has its attractions. But how does it go down with licensees?

While many recognise the inadequacies of the current system, they are not necessarily keen on the idea of offenders doing their odd jobs.

Lynne Rainey of the Black Horse in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, says: "I would be wary of taking in anyone with a background of violence or theft. I would be frightened of leaving them alone and in this trade you want to pop in and out. And if anything went missing, I would have to pay for it."

But others say it could be a way of pubs playing an important social role and proving they are the heart of a community.

"If it was carried out under very strict control then it's a way to get people to learn the value of respect," says Mathieu Bouchet of the Chough in Salisbury.

Social role

Mathieu isn't the first to recognise a role for the hospitality trade in helping disaffected youths turn their lives around.

Jamie Oliver's socially minded restaurant venture Fifteen saw him trying to turn drop-out kids into top chefs.

And now Marco Pierre White has stepped into the do-gooder chef arena by calling for all pubs and restaurants in Wiltshire to employ staff through local charity Amber, which helps rehabilitate homeless and troubled youths into society.

On a visit to the area, the chef said: "It is too easy to label people. Lots of these kids have done wrong in their past but we have all done bad things.

"If there is a shortage of chefs in this area I would recommend that every single pub owner, hotelier and restaurateur in the area open their doors to the Amber kids to help them on their journey."

The more cynical among us might call this a PR stunt. But, celebrity involvement aside, there is a serious question here. Can pubs help society by turning young people's lives around? And do they actually have a responsibility to do so?

Amber centre manager Dave Griffin thinks the answer is an unequivocal yes. He says pubs are a good source of employment for young people getting their lives back on track because they tend to need part-time staff, and can also help teach people how to handle alcohol responsibly.

And The Prince's Trust, which also runs a scheme to help unemployed youths get a foothold in the catering trade, says working in a kitchen can be an effective way of gaining both confidence and marketable skills.

"There are lots of things pubs have to offer," says Dave.

"Work experience is what our guys are always after and pubs tend to need casual labour. Also, some of our clients may have had a problem with alcohol so working on the other side of the bar tends to help them - it lets them see it from another side. If they have to serve someone difficult they come back and say 'oh my God, that's what I used to be like'. They've been able to see what they've done in the past."

But taking on troubled youths clearly comes with its risks, as Jamie Oliver has discovered.

A recent report into Fifteen found it offered 'hit-and-miss' training and had a less than impressive success rate, with only 54 of the 106 recruits completing the course. "Obviously with the client group we're working with there are going to be a few who do fall, but the feedback is more positive than negative," says Dave. "And I would have thought the employer gets a lot out of it. If you are taking a chance on someone and you see them succeed, it's got to be rewarding."

But for some of those who have been on the receiving end of anti-social behaviour, the softly, softly approach just doesn't cut the mustard. "I'm 56 and if I had done that when I was 18 I'd have been locked up," says Ray of his attacker. "There's no discipline at all."