Reflecting on youth justice

I really wanted to use this opportunity to recognise the progress we have collectively made in diverting children and young people away from the criminal justice system over the last decade. Focusing on those on the cusp of offending has been central to these frankly astonishing achievements. For me, this success illustrates what can be achieved when central government departments work together and, crucially, work alongside local government, the police, magistrates and others.

So, in many ways the youth justice system is a success story and there is much that the adult system could learn from us, but not everything is going in the right direction. Too many young people go on to reoffend upon release from custody and knife and offensive weapon offences resulting in a caution or conviction have been consistently rising since 2014. Two years on from the Lammy Review, disproportionality continues to be a concern as does the number of care experienced children and young people in contact with the system.