Standing on the cliff edge of criminalisation
originally published:
24th November 2009
Regardless of the figures and statistics, much of our mainstream media has decreed that Britain’s streets are ravaged by a generation of young offenders with little respect for the norms of our society.
The reality, as any frontline community worker or service provider will tell you, is much more complex. High profile cases such as the killing of Rhys Jones in Liverpool or Ben Kinsella in London have sparked unprecedented media attention on youth crime but these crimes are comparatively rare.
In the meantime, there is still a worrying lack of focus on the vast majority of young adult crime which falls outside of the serious, violent offences. Strikingly there is also a real deficit of understanding among the media, the public and even some policy makers and practitioners when it comes to defining the very group they are trying to deal with.
We are all aware that a worrying number of young adults commit offences. However, there is a lack of recognition of the distinct nature and needs of Britain’s marginalised 18-24 year olds who, unlike an increasing number of their peers who head to university or vocational training, are often highly vulnerable, suffer from mental illness, homelessness and drug and alcohol abuse.
