The Home Office published the plan this week as part of a government bid to clamp down on violent crime.
Measures include supporting the anti-knife charity Be Safe to develop a five-year programme in teaching young people why they should not carry weapons and working with the Youth Justice Board on the development of interventions to change the behaviour of convicted young people.
Clare Checksfield, chief executive of the charity Crime Concern, said it was time prevention was made a bigger priority.
"With more and more young people carrying knives for protection we believe moves to prosecute anyone carrying a knife, while understandable in light of recent knife attack tragedies, run the risk of criminalising those young people who carry knives out of fear," she said.
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