Number of children in Nottingham entering criminal justice system halved

The number of children and young people who enter the criminal justice system for the first time in Nottingham has halved in the last year, new data has revealed.

Nottinghamshire Police’s Youth Intervention Section works in partnership with Nottingham City Council's Youth Justice Service (YJS) to prevent young people from reoffending and divert them away from the criminal justice system.

In the year to September 2024, the number of children and young people entering the criminal justice system has seen a 50.7 per cent reduction compared with the previous 12 months in the city of Nottingham.

The Nottingham City Out of Court Disposal Panel provides bespoke prevention work for children aged between 10 and 17. The aim is to steer young people away from crime and antisocial behaviour and improve their outcomes.

The panel, which includes the police, drug and alcohol support, healthcare, education, social care, and victims’ services, assess the likelihood of reoffending and manages interventions to reduce these risks.

Young people become a first-time entrant in the criminal justice system if they receive a police caution or more severe enforcement, which can considerably limit their life choices and opportunities.

They can be referred to the panel after admitting their involvement with a wide range of offences, which can include possession of knives and weapons, assaults and violence, and those relating to drugs and alcohol.

Nottinghamshire Police has helped to halve this number by decreasing the use of cautions and youth conditional cautions and by increasing more effective methods of supporting young people that require mandatory educational input. 

The Youth Intervention Section uses a child-first principle which recognises that young people entering the criminal justice system often come from complex backgrounds and may have had adverse childhood experiences that can increase the likelihood of offending.

Once a child enters the criminal justice system, they are statistically more likely to go on and reoffend later in life.

The scheme aims to help young people take responsibility for their actions and reduce reoffending through educational and diversionary activities, instead of entering the criminal justice system.

The variety of educational activities can include a visit to an anti-knife crime exhibit at the Galleries of Justice, enrolling on a one-punch programme to learn about the fatal consequences of assaults, or working with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to understand the impact of road traffic collisions.

Nottinghamshire Police has also introduced a new outcome for children, known as a deferred caution.

This allows a child to undertake educational or diversionary activities in lieu of a caution, which are designed to address the underlying causes of offending, reduce reoffending, and keep young people out of the criminal justice system. However, failure to engage with this results in a caution being issued.

The force is also set to launch a new deferred prosecution scheme for young people across the city and county later this year.

It will allow children who would have previously been prosecuted, within certain parameters, to instead complete educational or diversionary work. Those who do not engage will instead be prosecuted.

The Youth Intervention Section is part of Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub, which is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.

Detective Inspector Richard Guy, Nottinghamshire Police’s Youth Intervention Section team lead, said: “The fall in the number of children entering the criminal justice system for the first time is really pleasing and shows that our child-first approach is effective.

“Such a dramatic reduction is rarely down to a single factor and in this case, it is the result of several proactive measures that we’ve been using to support children and young people, such as reducing the use of cautions, increasing mandatory educational and diversionary interventions, and adopting a child-first principle.

“This is about offering the best outcome for children who have committed offences by considering their history and background and providing them with the tools and education to make better choices in the future.

“If a child never knows any better and doesn’t have any positive role models, it can be easier for them to be led astray towards criminal activity. However, by intervening early we can help show them that this kind of behaviour isn’t acceptable and there are positive alternatives.

“These outcomes could not have been achieved alone and I want to extend my thanks to our partners and Nottingham City Council for their ongoing efforts.

“The reasons for offending can be complex, but we are committed to supporting young people, protecting our communities from harm, and by addressing these causes directly, we can reduce victims of crime and costs to the criminal justice system.”