NCJ Number
238894
Date Published
January 2012
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report from the Prison Reform Trust in the United Kingdom presents information on young adults involved with the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
Abstract
Highlights from this report on the status of young adults involved with the criminal justice system in England and Wales include the following: as of September 30, 2011, there were 8,317 young people aged 18-20 in prison in England and Wales; between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, 12,509 young people were imprisoned under sentence; while 18-25 year-olds account for 1 in 10 people in the population as a whole, but they account for a third of those sent to prison each year, a third of the probation caseload, and a third of the total social and economic cost of crime; 58 percent of young people released from custody in the first quarter of 2008 reoffended within a Year; and young adults account for 20 percent of individuals in prison who self-harm although they represent only 12 percent of the prison population. This report was prepared by the Prison Reform Trust to highlight the issues surrounding young adults involved with the criminal justice system in England and Wales. The intent of the report is to provide information to those who wish to assist young people with successfully transitioning from the criminal justice system back into the community. The report includes a set of reforms and recommendations to facilitate this work. These reforms and recommendations include the use of intensive community orders, the creation of young offending teams, the use of youth referral orders and youth restorative disposal, reforms to sentencing guidelines, programs to reduce substance use among young people, and providing services for mental health problems and learning disabilities. References