An article examined the protection of rights and well-being of children in custody in England and Wales, arguing that by abolishing the use of penal institutions and placing children instead in care-based homes the state would be better able to safeguard rights and to meet its assumed responsibility to parent children whilst in custody. The article also discussed, in this context, the coalition government's proposals to introduce secure colleges for young offenders.
Source: Kathryn Hollingsworth, 'Assuming responsibility for incarcerated children: a rights case for care-based homes', Current Legal Problems, Volume 67 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
The government responded to a report by a joint committee of MPs and peers on the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, in particular on the aspects of the Bill that related to increased sentences for terrorism offences, electronic monitoring following release on licence, extreme pornography, young offenders, a criminal courts charge, and contempt of court.
Source: Government Response to the Fourteenth Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Session 2013/14: Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, Cm 8928, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined diversion from formal criminal proceedings for young people who had offended. It said that, unless the young person was willing to admit to the offence, it was not possible to divert them from the formal process, and the article considered whether new provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 was a lost opportunity to reconsider the need for an admission of guilt.
Source: Karen Cushing, 'Diversion from prosecution for young people in England and Wales reconsidering the mandatory admission criteria', Youth Justice, Volume 14 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
The probation inspectorate examined the child protection work undertaken by probation staff and youth offending teams (YOTs) with young people at risk from adult offenders and young people whose own behaviour put them at risk. The report said that: YOTs were well connected to children's social care services, enquiries and referrals were made, and information was shared; there was some excellent direct work carried out by YOTs with children and their parents/carers; and there was some good work by individual probation staff. However, the report outlined areas of concern, including: elements of assessing, planning, and evidencing work (including concerns about joint planning, and the variability of relationships with local safeguarding children boards); the prioritization of child protection work as a core task; understanding (by some probation staff) of the nature and purpose of such work; variable progress in work to address child sexual exploitation; and management oversight. The report made recommendations.
Source: An Inspection of the Work of Probation Trusts and Youth Offending Teams to Protect Children and Young People, HM Inspectorate of Probation
Links: Report | HMI Probation press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A paper examined the practice of children's rights in youth justice.
Source: Kathryn Hollingsworth, Re-Imagining Justice for Children: A new rights-based approach to youth justice, Working Paper 10/2014, Howard League for Penal Reform
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined the general principles of what worked in resettlement with young people as they left custody, and considered the specific needs of girls and young women. The report considered the existing policy context, and examined: reasons behind female youth offending; judicial responses; the characteristics of young females in custody; and lessons from interventions with older females and from any existing studies or interventions that focused on the needs of girls or young women. It concluded that interventions should be based on the gender-neutral lessons that applied to the resettlement of all young people, but that a 'gender-prism' should be applied, to consider the potential, more gender-specific, impact of vulnerabilities, relationships, and empowerment of females in the system.
Source: Tim Bateman and Neal Hazel, Resettlement of Girls and Young Women, Beyond Youth Custody
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Aug
An article examined recent developments in the use of 'out of court' disposals in youth justice in England and Wales, and recent trends towards decreased use of formal procedures.
Source: Roger Smith, 'Re-inventing diversion', Youth Justice, Volume 14 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
An article examined adolescent to parent violence cases reported to the police. It examined victim, offender and incident characteristics from 1892 cases, most of which involved violence against the person or criminal damage in the home. The study found that the majority of offenders were male, and over 75 per cent of victims were female.
Source: Rachel Condry and Caroline Miles, 'Adolescent to parent violence: framing and mapping a hidden problem', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 14 Number 3
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the police use of stop and searches on children and young people and the police custody facilities in place for this age group. It said that there were examples of police forces working well to develop positive relationships with children and young people, but there were a number of concerns: about the extent of stop and searches conducted on children in the past five years (over one million across 26 police forces); that some of these children were under the age of criminal responsibility; that, in some areas, disproportionate numbers of children from black and minority-ethnic groups were stopped; that just under half of forces did not provide separate custody facilities for children; and that there was a lack of specific statutory guidance for the police regarding these issues. The report was from an ongoing wider inquiry into the experiences and relationships of children and young people in contact with the police.
Source: All Party Parliamentary Group for Children Inquiry into 'Children and the Police': Initial analysis of information request to police forces, All Party Parliamentary Group for Children
Links: Report | NCB press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jul
An article examined the effectiveness of parenting interventions for male young offenders who were fathers, drawing on a systematic search of the literature.
Source: Katie Buston, Alison Parkes, Hilary Thomson, Danny Wight, and Candida Fenton, 'Parenting interventions for male young offenders: a review of the evidence on what works', Journal of Adolescence, Volume 35 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jul
A new book examined youth offending, bringing together articles on issues such as the needs and perspectives of youth offenders, whether age should lead to young offenders being treated differently from others, identification of risk factors, sentencing, restorative justice, and recommendations for policy change.
Source: Thom Brooks (ed.), Juvenile Offending, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jun
A new book examined why residents of children's homes entered the youth justice system, and the consequent implications for policy and practice. Drawing on the experiences of children and young people who had offended whilst in residential care, and a range of professionals, it argued for a more holistic approach to understanding and addressing youth offending.
Source: Julie Shaw, Residential Children's Homes and the Youth Justice System: Identity, power and perceptions, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jun
A report provided findings from the Independent Parliamentarians' inquiry into the operation and effectiveness of the youth court. The report recommended a range of reforms, including: for the criminal records of children who had committed non-serious and non-violent offences, who had stopped offending, to be expunged at age 18; for legal practitioners representing children to be accredited to do so; for a clear presumption in law that all child defendants would be dealt with in the youth court; and for referral orders to be the default court disposal for under 16s, and for the procedure to resemble more closely a restorative justice conference, with greater emphasis on the involvement of victims, families, and wider support services.
Source: Independent Parliamentarians' Inquiry into the Operation and Effectiveness of the Youth Court, Independent Parliamentarians' Inquiry Panel
Links: Report | Summary | NCB press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Jun
The Criminal Justice and Courts Bill was given a third reading. The Bill was designed to make a range of provisions regarding sentencing, youth justice, and the courts, including: restriction of the frequency and circumstances of the use of adult cautions; provisions regarding early release; tracking offenders while on licence; recovery of costs in criminal cases; the creation of secure colleges for young offenders; requiring the presence of an appropriate adult when giving a caution or conditional caution to 17 year olds; continuation of a breached or superseded referral order to allow the restorative justice element to be completed; removal of the requirement for some offences to be heard by magistrates in open court; the extension of provisions for some cases to 'leapfrog' the Court of Appeal (directly to the Supreme Court); provisions to change the requirement for relief, and the provisions for costs and cost capping, in judicial review cases; drugs testing of prisoners; and offences of sending letters with intent to cause distress and anxiety.
Source: Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, Ministry of Justice, TSO | Debate 17 June 2014, columns 962-1083, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard
Date: 2014-Jun
A new book examined youth offending, bringing together articles on issues such as the needs and perspectives of youth offenders, whether age should lead to young offenders being treated differently from others, identification of risk factors, sentencing, restorative justice, and recommendations for policy change.
Source: Thom Brooks (ed.), Juvenile Offending, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jun
A report provided findings from the Independent Parliamentarians' inquiry into the operation and effectiveness of the youth court. The report recommended a range of reforms, including: for the criminal records of children who had committed non-serious and non-violent offences, who had stopped offending, to be expunged at age 18; for legal practitioners representing children to be accredited to do so; for a clear presumption in law that all child defendants would be dealt with in the youth court; and for referral orders to be the default court disposal for under 16s, and for the procedure to resemble more closely a restorative justice conference, with greater emphasis on the involvement of victims, families, and wider support services.
Source: Independent Parliamentarians' Inquiry into the Operation and Effectiveness of the Youth Court, Independent Parliamentarians' Inquiry Panel
Links: Report | Summary | NCB press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined United Kingdom and international research findings on children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours. It said that: children and young people accounted for approximately one-quarter of all sexual abuse convictions against victims of all ages; underreporting was likely to be due to the stigma and shame surrounding the issue; in many cases, children and young people were both perpetrators and victims of abuse; many families of young people with harmful sexual behaviours were described as multiply troubled; and it was an issue that parents found difficult. The report discussed policy implications and said that, as most sexual abuse by children and young people did not come to the attention of youth justice services, provision should span the child welfare and criminal justice systems, with emphasis on early and positive interventions for children and their families.
Source: Simon Hackett, Children and Young People with Harmful Sexual Behaviours – A Research Review, Research in Practice
Links: Summary | RIP press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A new book examined why residents of children's homes entered the youth justice system, and the consequent implications for policy and practice. Drawing on the experiences of children and young people who had offended whilst in residential care, and a range of professionals, it argued for a more holistic approach to understanding and addressing youth offending.
Source: Julie Shaw, Residential Children's Homes and the Youth Justice System: Identity, power and perceptions, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the evolution of street gangs, based on fieldwork with gangs and gang members in London. It said that gangs evolved from adolescent peer groups within neighbourhoods, and that recreation, crime, enterprise, and extralegal governance represented sequential actualization stages in their evolutionary cycle. The article discussed the factors that influenced the cycle, such as financial pressures or threats of violence, and the transition in some cases from 'crime that was organized' to 'organized crime'.
Source: James Densley, 'It's gang life, but not as we know it: the evolution of gang business', Crime & Delinquency, Volume 60 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
A report discussed the identification of children in the criminal justice system in England and Wales. It said that it was neither in the best interests of the child, nor of society in general, to 'name and shame', that the existing system was inconsistent, and that it was harmful to rehabilitation. The report called for a range of measures, including a change in the law to grant all children involved in criminal proceedings automatic and lifelong anonymity.
Source: Di Hart, What's in a Name? The identification of children in trouble with the law, Standing Committee for Youth Justice
Links: Report | SCYJ press release
Date: 2014-May
An article examined individual, social, and environmental factors that differentiated gang-involved youth and non-gang youth in Britain. It said that gang-involved youth were likely to be older, and that individual delinquency and the presence of neighbourhood gangs predicted gang involvement. Using structural equation modeling, the article found that parental management, deviant peer pressure, and commitment to school had indirect relationships with gang involvement. The article discussed implications.
Source: Emma Alleyne and Jane Wood, 'Gang involvement: social and environmental factors', Crime & Delinquency, Volume 60 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
A report examined the operations, outcomes, and value for money of secure children's homes in England and Wales. It said that there were 17 SCHs, mostly run by local authorities but with nationwide catchments. Ten homes held young people aged between ten and eighteen who were committed to care on a secure welfare placement, were remanded to custody, or were serving a criminal sentence. The others solely held young people on a secure welfare placement. The report examined the educational, therapeutic, and support activities of the homes, and the outcomes achieved. It made a range of recommendations, including that SCHs should be recognised as a national resource requiring central coordination, and that there should be a national strategy to improve the collecting and sharing of information, and to assess ways to centralise resources in order to provide economies of scale.
Source: "They Helped Me, They Supported Me": Achieving outcomes and value for money in secure children's homes, Justice Studio/Secure Children's Homes
Links: Summary | SCH press release
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined two young people's experiences of transition from secure accommodation, using an interpretative phenomenological approach in the analysis of their accounts. It considered the implications for policy and practice.
Source: Catherine Beal, 'Insider accounts of the move to the outside: two young people talk about their transitions from secure institutions', Youth Justice, Volume 14 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the relationship between young people and practitioners in the youth justice setting, drawing on the concepts of dyadic relationships and praxis to consider the research agenda in this area. It argued that centralizing the practitioner-young person relationship remained the key to successful practice, and called for more research to enable the rethinking of youth justice.
Source: Deborah Drake, Ross Fergusson, and Damon Briggs, 'Hearing new voices: re-viewing youth justice policy through practitioners' relationships with young people', Youth Justice, Volume 14 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the needs of young adults (18 to 24 year olds) in contact with mental health and/or learning disability services and the criminal justice system. It identified core components of effective engagement with young adults, including: a primary focus on emotional well-being and communication difficulties; building consistent and continuous relationships, with 'open door' policies to capitalize on those relationships; services that were ex-offender or service user led, accessible, and available; and tailored, personalized support to meet individual needs, address offending behaviour, and connect them to resources and opportunities. The report made a range of recommendations.
Source: The Bradley Commission: Young adults (18-24) in transition, mental health and criminal justice, Briefing Paper 2, Centre for Mental Health
Links: Report | CMH press release
Date: 2014-Mar
A new book examined the youth justice system, the risks and problems posed by society for young people, and the opportunities for changes in policy and practice under the United Kingdom coalition government.
Source: Anne Robinson, Foundations for Youth Justice: Positive approaches to practice, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Mar
The Criminal Justice and Courts Bill was published. The Bill was designed to make a range of provisions regarding sentencing, youth justice, and the courts, including: restriction of the frequency and circumstances of the use of adult cautions; provisions regarding early release; tracking offenders while on licence; recovery of costs in criminal cases; the creation of secure colleges for young offenders; requiring the presence of an appropriate adult when giving a caution or conditional caution to 17 year olds; continuation of a breached or superseded referral order to allow the restorative justice element to be completed; removal of the requirement for some offences to be heard by magistrates in open court; the extension of provisions for some cases to 'leapfrog' the Court of Appeal (directly to the Supreme Court); and provisions to change the requirement for relief, and the provisions for costs and cost capping, in judicial review cases.
Source: Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Fact sheets | Memoranda | MOJ press release
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined possible mechanisms linking adolescents' offending to that of their peers, using data from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime. It investigated whether offending behaviour by the peer group of adolescents shown in one context was related only to adolescents' own offending in the same context or also to offending in other contexts. Evidence was found for context-specific peer effects of theft in different contexts. This supported learning as an important mechanism explaining peer similarity in offending, possibly alongside opportunity, while contradicting selection was an alternative explanation.
Source: Harald Beier, 'Peer effects in offending behaviour across contexts: disentangling selection, opportunity and learning processes', European Journal of Criminology, Volume 11 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the progress made on the implementation of recommendations that were made following the deaths in custody of sixteen boys in England and Wales since April 2000. Around 120 recommendations had been received and the report said that changes had been made, but further work was required on: the care and support of looked-after children; reducing the incidence and impact of bullying in secure settings; listening to children and acting upon their concerns; information sharing; and better support for children at risk of self harm and suicide.
Source: Deaths of Children in Custody: Action taken, lessons learnt, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Ministry of Justice)
Links: Report | YJB press release | Howard League press release
Date: 2014-Feb
The government published its response to a consultation on youth custody in England and Wales. The report said that the government would now legislate to create secure colleges, a network of educational establishments providing learning, vocational training, and life skills, as part of the rehabilitation programme for young offenders. The first secure college would be piloted in the East Midlands from 2017. The report also outlined plans to improve education and training provision within existing public sector young offender institutions, with better assessment of special educational needs and each YOI having a principal to oversee education. The Youth Justice Board would take overall responsibility for education in custodial settings. The report discussed the importance of resettlement plans, which would now be considered throughout the custodial sentence and would include planning for better support on release, and for re-entry into education, training, or employment.
Source: Transforming Youth Custody: Government response to the consultation, Ministry of Justice
Links: Report | MOJ press release | UCU press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jan