Criminal justice and social justice - children and young people in their own words (09/06/09)
One of the hallmarks of the last decade has been a law and order focus on children and young people. Yet, the voices of children and young people are rarely heard in the development of criminal or social justice policy and practices. This themed issue of Criminal Justice Matters, edited by Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the Children's Commissioner for England, places children and young people's voices at the centre of the debate.
The magazine features a series of contributions from children and young people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. The views of those within the criminal justice system and who have been detained in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre are heard alongside children and young people campaigning against the `Mosquito' device deployed against young people in local shopping parades and others describing their experiences as looked after young people in the UK care system.
Girl M (15) speaking about her experience in Yarl's Wood said:
`I saw how the other people had suffered from being there. How they've just got pain in their eyes. ...In Yarl's Wood, my mum was sad and crying all the time. It was really hard, seeing her like that. I did everything I could.'
Care leaver Tony, who is 20 and has been in prison since 16 said:
`Being in care and being in prison are two different things. I know it can seem like care is prison but prison is the worse place on this earth. Getting told when to get up and doing the same stuff everyday. Being locked behind a door for most of the day and having to watch your back from day to day - it's not a life to live and it's time for a change - not just for me but for everyone.'
Charmain, Danielle, Lewis and Barry from Corby who are campaigning against the use of the Mosquito device write:
`We live in a democracy but as they say, "All men are equal but some are more equal than others". That was never truer in terms of age; we still believe that in many cases young people are thought to be less important than older members of the community. It is up to us to show them that we are the voice and voters of the future.'
There are also additional contributions from leading academics in the field of young people's criminal and social justice policy including Professor Barry Goldson, University of Liverpool; Deena Haydon, an independent research and policy consultant and Phil Scraton Professor of Criminology, Queen's University, Belfast, as well as the Children's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler.
Sir Al Ansley-Green said:
`In sharing with us what they think, children and young people can support adults in making all our lives better. Time and time again they're showing us all why it is so essential for us to listen to them and to work together.'
Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said:
`Those at the bottom of the pile at times of social and economic stress are children and young people from poor or vulnerable backgrounds. For this reason this issue of cjm places centre stage the voices of those who will feel the failure of government to impact on social inequality most.'
Other highlights in the non-themed section include:
Professor Rod Morgan questions the Youth Justice Board's presentation of first-time entrants' data and argues that the previous hard work to overcome the YJB's reputation for spin is in danger of being thrown away.
Vanessa E Munro considers the government's plans to criminalise the clients of controlled prostitutes. She asks if it will be an effective anti-trafficking measure or whether it will take the focus away from the wider issues of trafficking of cheap labour where employees are often unprotected and exploited in the workplace.
Arianna Silvestri, an Associate at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, discusses the Centre's research on young people and gun and knife crime that shows with regard to knife crime there are simply no precedents for successful police operations.
Jon Collins, Campaign Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance, argues that while Titans may have been abandoned their replacements are little better and the only beneficiaries of the prison building programme will be the private companies contracted to run them.
ends
Contact: Will McMahon, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 020 7848 1688 or 07968 950 223
Notes to editors:
- Criminal Justice Matters is the quarterly magazine of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, an independent charity based at King's College. The views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.
- The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies is an independent charity based at King's College London. It was established in 1931 and aims to inform and educate about all aspects of crime and the criminal justice system from an objective standpoint. It encourages and facilitates healthy debate and understanding of the complex nature of issues concerning crime.
- The full list of articles can be found here.
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