Features

Reducing Youth Violence: Key policy developments

7 mins read Youth Justice
Headlines in the national media often depict the scale of serious youth violence as reaching epidemic proportions.
Research showed those who attended youth clubs were less likely to engage in anti-social behaviour and crime - ALEXBRYLOVHK/ADOBE STOCK

While data shows there has been an increase in incidents over the past decade, it is hard to put this into historical context due to changes in how crimes were defined and recorded pre-2010. For example, a 2009 Home Office Committee report stated that not only was there no legal definition of knife crime, but the phrase had been constructed by the press as a specific youth issue.

Some experts say there has been little change in the prevalence of serious youth violence over the past 40 years (see debate, p30).

Turning to more recent trends, the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has produced a digest of the current situation on serious youth violence drawn from Home Office, NHS Digital and Youth Justice Board (YJB) data. Its Beyond the Headlines report states that the number of 16- to 24-year-old homicide victims rose from 87 in 2012/13 to 99 in 2022/23. Over the same period, there had been a 47% increase in the number of children treated in hospital for knife or sharp object injuries.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this

Youth Work in Hertfordshire

Opportunities in districts across Hertfordshire

Trainee Social Worker

London (Central), London (Greater)