Jacqui Belfield-Smith, who represents youth off ending services in England, highlights that the number of children entering the criminal justice system and serving custodial terms fell 90% and 85% respectively from 2009 to 2023 (see Interview).
However, when such incidents do occur, it's the extreme nature of them – often involving weapons and child victims – that erodes public confidence and trust in the system to tackle it, explains Belfield-Smith.
Following the Southport case sentencing, the government pledged new measures to prevent sales of knives to under-18s (see News). While welcome, it will not be enough to prevent further incidents of youth violence. We need a fresh approach that tackles the drivers of violence and puts provision in place to support young people.
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