Young women’s overlooked experiences of violence, abuse and exploitation are driving them into the criminal justice system
Our new briefing looks into experiences of violence, abuse and exploitation of girls and young women in contact with the criminal justice system, which are too often overlooked.
The new report, I wanted to be heard is released today as part of the Young Women’s Justice Project, with Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk. The research brings together interviews and focus groups with young women with lived experience as well as the services supporting them.
Key findings from the briefing include:
Young women’s experiences of violence, abuse and exploitation can drive them into the criminal justice system, but their experiences are too often overlooked by the agencies they may turn to for support.
Punished for survival strategies and their response to trauma, young women in contact with the criminal justice system who have experienced violence, abuse and exploitation face a lack of understanding and recognition of their needs.
They have limited access to specialist support despite extreme levels of need and, rather than being met with care and support, they are met with punishment and stigma in a system which re-traumatises them, when it should be protecting them.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill progressing through Parliament risks entrenching this, sweeping greater numbers of young women into the criminal justice system by placing blame on some of the most vulnerable young women for challenges they face.
The increase in sentence length for Assaults on Emergency Workers will drive more young women with experiences of trauma and disadvantage into the criminal justice system. Often these assaults occur because workers are not always equipped to identify and respond to challenges facing young women, many of whom show signs of distress when being arrested.
Black and minoritised young women face harsher treatment across the criminal justice system and are significantly more likely to be arrested than white girls. The combination of gender inequality, racism and age imposes extra barriers to them receiving the support they need.
Care-experienced young women who have experienced violence and abuse may also be less able to access support. Whilst in care, girls can be exposed to new risks of violence and abuse, with young women interviewed by Agenda reporting that they were failed by professionals who should have protected them.
We must see a joined-up approach addressing the issues which lead young women to offend, including their experiences of extensive violence, abuse and exploitation:
This must address the inequalities which drive the over-representation of Black and minoritised young women and care-experienced young women in the criminal justice system.
This must include greater availability of specialist support for young women driven into the system and facing violence, abuse and exploitation.
Jemima Olchawski, CEO of Agenda says:
“The most vulnerable young women in our society are being driven further into a system that punishes them for their response to trauma. Once in the criminal justice system they have limited access to specialist support and are left to deal with their entrenched and complex experiences of trauma, putting them at heightened risk of repeated offending.”
“Black and minoritised young women face harsher treatment across the criminal justice system and are significantly more likely to be arrested than white young women, particularly for assaulting an emergency worker. The new PCSC Bill risks criminalising young women, and particularly Black young women, who are in distress and whose needs have not been recognised.”
Pippa Goodfellow, Director of the Alliance for Youth Justice says:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has seen girls and young women exposed to heightened risks of abuse, exploitation and violence. Alongside exacerbated issues of racial inequality, poverty, mental health and complex trauma, they are facing a complicated combination of factors that can drive offending. It is vital that systems and services work together to meet these growing and emerging needs, whilst standing firmly against punitive measures that will criminalise those most in need of support.”
“These findings underscore the need for investment in specialist services that support girls and young women before they reach crisis point, to help prevent many of these offences occurring in the first place. This should be hand in hand with development of training for emergency workers, equipping them to understand and respond appropriately to those in need and de-escalate situations in a trauma-informed way.”
Read the full “I wanted to be heard” briefing paper here.