HomeYoung Adults
and Criminal Justice
The Young Adults and Criminal Justice programme aims to improve the life chances of young adults who are in, or at risk of being in, the criminal justice system and help them make a successful transition to adulthood.
The Barrow Cadbury Trust's work in this area focuses on the recommendations made by the Trust's Commission on Young Adults and the Criminal Justice System. The key areas of our work are:
If you are looking for funding, please visit our Grants section.
In the many communities that the Barrow Cadbury Trust supports, the links between growing up in poverty and crime are clear. The Commission on Young Adults and the Criminal Justice System, launched in 2004, was set up in response to concerns voiced by the grassroots groups we worked with who were particularly concerned about the demonisation of young people by the media and the resulting harsh and counterproductive sentencing handed down by the courts.
After a year of gathering evidence and visits to prisons and youth justice projects in Europe and the US, the Commission published its report, Lost in Transition. The report argued that imprisoning young adult offenders, for all but the most serious offences, is counterproductive and leads to more crime with over eighty per cent of young adults reconvicted after leaving prison. The report also recognised the vulnerability of eighteen year olds in the criminal justice system – when the specialist services and support they have experienced in the youth justice system abruptly ends on their eighteenth birthday. Once a young person turns 18, they are simply treated as adults, without any consideration of their level of maturity.
Young adults, especially those in, or at risk of being, in the criminal justice system, often live chaotic lives and are in need of intensive support. Yet, there is currently no specific work undertaken with them in the criminal justice system or by other service providers. To plug this gap, the Commissioners made a number of recommendations, including a proposal for the establishment of Transition to Adulthood Teams. The teams would bridge the youth and adult justice system - an approach that will suit the individual needs and maturity level of an offender - rather than categorising them simply according to their date of birth. The Commission report also proposed changes in policy on policing, sentencing, mental health, drug addiction, employment, housing and social care.
The Barrow Cadbury Trust has responded to the Commission's findings by developing the Young Adults and Criminal Justice grant programme. This programme has developed the Commission's findings into practical solutions that will help young adults make a successful transition to adulthood. For more information, visit our Grant Programmes.
