Policy Briefing: A critical juncture for youth justice: Learning lessons and future directions for a post-pandemic youth justice system
This is the second of three policy briefings for our ‘Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Justice’ research project, delivered in collaboration between ourselves and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of the UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to COVID-19.
This briefing considers key challenges for the youth justice system that have been brought about, aggravated or accentuated by the pandemic. It demonstrates how the youth justice system is at a critical juncture, considers future directions for justice for children, and calls for lessons to be learnt from experiences during the pandemic.
The briefing finds that there are multiple emerging challenges for youth justice, examining:
Delayed justice
Children’s experiences of courts and sentencing
The role of Youth Offending Teams
The briefing recommends that we must build a youth justice system fit for the future, by:
Addressing injustices emphasised and exacerbated by COVID-19
Considering future directions for the youth justice system that are ambitious and learn the lessons from the pandemic