Listening to young people

This report, published in June 2009, aimed to find out what younger people - including those from hard-to-reach groups - really think about crime. It came about through consultations with young people, firstly through focus groups that took place in October of 2007, and then a regional youth conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.>

The report by The National Youth Agency on behalf of the West Midlands Police Authority and the Local Criminal Justice Board tried to canvas young people’s views and experiences of: anti social behaviour; gangs and street violence; personal safety; violent extremism; and perceptions of criminal justice agencies, including the police.

The report highlighted that safety was a key concern for young people and that young people feel at particular risk of victimisation: during school, travelling to and from school, during the hours of darkness and when travelling on buses.

Other key findings of the report were: Young people are concerned about reporting crimes to the police. This concern can be exacerbated by how young people feel they are treated by the police. Young people’s experiences of the police have a direct bearing on their perceptions of the police service as a whole. Young people have high expectations of the police, but often feel let down by the response they receive and many young people said the police don’t make them feel safe.

Young people recognise criminal justice agencies including the police have a difficult job to do but do not consider criminal justice responses to be effective.

Positive experiences are more likely to impact on young people’s confidence in the criminal justice system, whilst negative encounters will continue to act as a barrier.

Young people recognise the importance of early intervention for dealing with crime; including support for offenders with mental health and drug dependencies along with the increased use of community sanctions for minor offences.

Young Muslims feel unfairly treated by criminal justice organisations and feel the media portrayal of terrorism as a Muslim problem has played a major factor in discrimination against them.

Click here to download The full report in PDF format