Cutting youth crime, changing young lives
On 18 May 2026, the Government published the Youth Justice White Paper, setting out a package of reforms designed to modernise the Youth Justice System (YJS), with a stated focus in particular on earlier intervention, rehabilitation, and proportionate and consistent responses.
Details
The reforms under four of the White Paper’s central themes that are most relevant to youth justice practitioners are discussed below.
- Intervening early, changing trajectories
The White Paper places renewed emphasis on preventing children entering the justice system through earlier identification, multi-agency support and early intervention including through:
Continued investment in the Turnaround Programme, with funding confirmed for a further three years to support children at risk of offending through earlier intervention (2.8).
• The introduction of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Panels, intended to improve identification of vulnerable children and strengthen partnership working between education, health, children's services, policing and community organisations (2.9–2.16).
• A new criminal offence of child criminal exploitation, together with Child Criminal Exploitation Prevention Orders, introduced by the Crime and Policing Act. Practitioners working with children at risk of exploitation should monitor these reforms closely (2.17). - A commitment to strengthen the national protocol for children in care and care leavers, aimed at reducing unnecessary criminalisation and promoting more consistent partnership responses where children come into contact with the justice system (2.21).Right response, right time
For youth justice practitioners, a key part of the reform package is the ongoing effort to develop mandatory specialist training for defence lawyers representing children in any setting (3.40). This would align defence lawyers with the judiciary and prosecution, who already face specialist training obligations in the youth court.
Another key area of reform is the out-of-court resolution (‘OOCR’) framework. The Government will deliver concrete proposals for fundamental reform in Autumn 2026 (3.14), but key issues for consultation will be whether to change the currently rigid admission-of-guilt requirements, whether to place community resolutions on statutory footing, and whether participation in OOCR interventions should be mandatory for certain offences (3.16-3.18).
The Government is also proceeding with plans to pilot ‘Youth Intervention Courts’ and place them on statutory footing (3.44). The new model draws on the adult intensive supervision court model, with a focus on rehabilitation, more regular judicial oversight, and greater coordination of efforts between judges, youth justice services, and specialists (3.45-3.47).
Addressing criminal records, the White Paper acknowledges that the current rules fail to distinguish between childhood and adult offences and present “some of the strictest disclosure requirements” for childhood offending (3.117). The Government commits to re-examine current rules such as the three-month automatic disclosure attached to a youth conditional caution and the list of offences that always require disclosure (3.123-3.124) .
The White Paper sets out certain reforms to ‘modernise’ the youth sentencing framework, including plans to make the youth rehabilitation order (YRO) available for children in receipt of their first conviction (3.86), as well as legislation for a higher, 1-year minimum term for detention and training orders (3.97), in order to minimise short-term sentences and ensure that custody is treated as a last resort.
Other points for youth justice practitioners to monitor include the Government’s target for a 25% reduction in the population of children held in custodial remand (3.59) and its commitment to carefully consider the Bar Council’s ongoing review of the appropriateness of the current age of criminal responsibility of 10 years (3.114). - Strengthening youth justice services
Practitioners should monitor key plans to modernise YJS services via new technology (4.22) and a new ‘Youth Justice Innovation Fund’ (4.20) and also expect more direct interaction with the Ministry of Justice, which is inheriting several key functions from the Youth Justice Board (4.30).
4. Secure custodial environments that protect the public and support rehabilitation
The key reform to note is the Government’s plans to de-emphasise large institutions (such as Young Offender Institutions) and make greater use of smaller, more rehabilitative settings (such as Secure Children’s Homes) where appropriate (5.31-5.32).
Commentary
The White Paper’s renewed emphasis on rehabilitation and the use of custody as a genuine last resort is promising on paper. It is encouraging to see direct engagement with issues that youth practitioners have long raised, not least the ‘postcode lottery’ in diversion and absence of mandatory specialist training for those representing children. Ultimately, however, the effect of these reforms remains to be seen, and will depend on the future legislation seeking to effect these commitments.