Report criticises ‘adversarial policing’ of young people

One of the most comprehensive reports into the youth justice system has examined whether the police and the youth justice system treat young people from different ethnic groups in different ways. The report was carried out by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) at King's College London. The report which was funded by the Economic and Social research Council and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, shows that black and mixed-race youths are over-represented in the youth justice system. This over-representation starts at the point of entry into the system, and is largely preserved as young suspects and defendants pass through it. The study examined how much control is influenced by the police on the ethnic composition of young people entering the youth justice system. Some arrests result from 'reactive policing' where the police respond to reports from the public about people who have committed crimes, and some from 'proactive policing' - for example through tactics such as stop and search. Overall, arrests arising from 'reactive policing' account for a larger proportion of young people entering the system than 'proactive policing'.