CYP Now - Justice system needs to recognise impact of care

Intersectionality is a concept to describe the interconnected nature of social categorisations as they apply to a given individual or group, which create interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.

Alison O’Sullivan is chair of the National Children’s Bureau and former ADCS president

It is often focused on race, class and gender, but is also helpful for understanding the overlapping and often amplified needs of those with care experience in the criminal justice system.

I’ve recently been using Intersectionality to reflect on what it’s like to be care experienced in custody. How might people’s mental health challenges be exacerbated? What is it like to be a parent in custody? Do staff understand or acknowledge care experience? Imagine growing old in prison if you were raised in an abusive institution.

A Strategy for Care-Experienced People in Custody was developed by HM Prison and Probation Service in 2019 and it is good to see that messages from the Care Experienced Conference are being incorporated into work in the prison and probation service.

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