Beyond Youth Custody

Beyond Youth Custody publishes quarterly update to review on resettlement of young offenders

23 August 2013

Beyond Youth Custody has today published its first quarterly update to the extensive literature review about the resettlement of young people leaving custody that was produced in April 2013. The update highlights new research including findings from the Youth Justice Board about the needs and vulnerabilities of those in the secure estate as well as qualitative research with girls in a young offender’s institution.

This update is the first in a series of quarterly updates intended to outline the latest available lessons from the literature about the resettlement of young offenders.

Beyond Youth Custody Programme Manager, Sarah Richardson, said:

“This first update has already highlighted some interesting lessons, building on the emerging principles and unanswered questions outlined in the first literature review. We can see that the number of children in custody has continued to fall, which is good news. However, this also presents challenges for the secure estate especially in terms of resettlement provision.

“Qualitative research with girls in custody has demonstrated some key ways that encourage girls and young women to engage with resettlement services. However there is still much more that we need to know about the different approaches needed when working with girls and other diverse groups of young offenders.

“The paper also outlines some of the proposed changes to the secure estate such as decommissioning of places in establishments, new healthcare standards and the government’s consultation around the intention to redesign the secure estate to put education at the heart of provision. This is an exciting time for resettlement services with the opportunity to shape future provision to make sure it is based on what really works to reduce reoffending.”

Read the report here.

Read the April 2013 literature review here.

Themes



Resettlement of young offenders: informing practice, improving outcomes