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Youth Crime

Overview

Over the past decade, national youth crime figures have been falling steadily. In January 2015, the number of children in custody was at an all-time low of 981- the first time on record that the figure had fallen below 1,000. That said, youth crime and anti-social behaviour is still a threat to the overall well-being of young people and the opportunities they have access to. Schools may provide an initial intervention in helping to limit these unhelpful behaviours however this is not always sufficient. As for those who are already offenders, re-offending rates remain consistently high therefore support for these students is crucial.

Furthermore, of those who offend, a significant number have been the victim of abuse or experienced bereavement, and around half of young people in custody have been in care at some point in their lives. In addition to this, one third of young people in custody have a mental health disorder which is three times higher than that of the general population. Offending is therefore prevalent among the most vulnerable young people in our society, with a combination of difficult circumstances often forming a basis for the identification of potential offenders.

There are a number of different measures in place to help prevent youth offending, to identify those at risk of involvement in anti-social behaviour and offending and rehabilitate those already convicted.

Key Facts

  • 60% of children in the youth justice system have significant speech, language or communication difficulties, and around a quarter have a learning disability.
  • Approximately half of young people in custody have at some point been in care, and a fifth are still subject to care orders.
  • Isolation is a big struggle for young people placed in custody as they face separation from family and friends, as well as isolation from their community as a whole.
  • Many face great difficulties in re-entering education after such an interruption, as well as difficulties with employment or training.
  • 72% of children released from custody re-offend within the year.
  • 11% of all children in prison have attempted suicide.
  • Less than 1% of all children in England are in care, but children in care make up 33% of boys and 61% of girls in custody.

Best Practice

If schools have concerns about a student at risk of getting into trouble with the police, they can be referred to the Community Youth Teams (CYT) for support. CYT will work with the school to provide a whole family approach to diverting the young person from offending behaviour, addressing any risk factors like substance misuse or mental health needs, and engaging them in constructive activity.

Education and speech and language therapists are integrated into the Youth Justice Service, schools cannot refer but can liaise with staff to support management of students in the justice system, which also has specialist staff to support with education, substance misuse, housing, physical and mental health.

Resources

Overview of government youth crime prevention programmes.

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