A charity think-tank says a dance project for troubled young people is preventing criminals from reoffending.

Dance United, based in Little Germany, Bradford, has been highlighted in Trial And Error, a report by the New Philanthropy Capital think-tank into youth justice.

It found that youth custody was becoming “respite care” for local authorities that were failing to invest in effective alternatives.

Iona Joy, author of the report, said: “We know that 75 per cent of young people reoffend within a year of release, and the current ‘get tough’ stance on youth crime has not worked.

“We found that many charities like Dance United, are providing more effective support for young people, which stops them having to go down the custody route and helps get their lives back on track.”

The Bradford dance group runs a 12-week programme for young criminals and those at risk of committing crime.

A study by Manchester University into the organisation’s programme found that half of the students involved did not reoffend and the severity and frequency of offences was reduced among those who did return to crime.

Dahl Yates’s life was transformed through the programme.

The former student, of Tong Street, Bradford, is undertaking a year-long foundation course at the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, in Dundee.

Tara Herbert, artistic director at Dance United, said: “I think a lot of young people need structure as they get caught up in a world without boundaries.

“All of these young people have potential. Not all of them will get there, but we’ve got to give them a chance.”

Penelope Gibbs, a director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the Government needed to find better alternatives to locking people up.

She said: “Spending up to £200,000 a year locking up a young teenager is likely to be money down the drain.”