A major study is to look into new ways to deal with youth crime.

The Barrow Cadbury Trust, an equality charity, has launched a Commission on Young Adults and the Criminal Justice System to seek alternatives to jail for offenders aged 18-21.

The trust’s director, Sukhvinder Stubbs, said: “The peak age of offending in young men is 18 – the very time the system lets them down. As soon as they turn 18 they are subject to the criminal justice system and are incarcerated, irrespective of their emotional maturity.

“We want to see if there is a better way of punishing young offenders than locking them up.”

Th e commission will look at the influence of age, background and the media on youth offending, among other topics. It is expected to publish a final report by next summer.

Source

Housing Today