Commentary Background Commentary on Sections Section 3 - Monitoring boards, courts boards and youth offending teams
25.This section places a duty on principal local authorities to promote understanding among local people of courts boards, independent monitoring boards for prisons and immigration removal centres and Youth Offending Teams (“YOTs”).
	Courts boards give advice and make recommendations to achieve effective and efficient administration of the courts.  This advisory role extends across the civil, family and criminal jurisdictions.
	Independent monitoring boards are appointed for every prison and immigration removal centre. They monitor conditions in the local prison or removal centre and ensure that proper standards of care and decency are maintained.
	YOTs are established for every local authority in England and Wales and are responsible for co-ordinating the work of the youth justice services. YOTs identify the needs of each young offender and then identify suitable programmes to address those needs with the intention of preventing further offending.
26.Principal local authorities are required to provide information about what these bodies do, how members of the public can take part in their work and what this is likely to involve.