Accepted author manuscript, 729 KB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Reconsidering the Care-Crime Connection in a Climate of Crisis
AU - Fitzpatrick, Claire
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - This article charts new ground by exploring the important increase in awareness surrounding the care-crime connection in recent years. The over-representation of care-experienced individuals in criminal justice settings has long been taken-for-granted. However, there has been a recent surge of interest in England and Wales in the need to avoid unnecessarily criminalising looked after children, and support those with care-experience in prison. Paradoxically, this increased awareness has occurred at the same time as a climate of crisis has threatened both the care system’s and the prison system’s capacity to function effectively. Despite the current climate, this article argues that things can be done to challenge the care-crime connection. Such strategies include: changing our language, connecting distinct policy priorities and moving beyond the limits of the law. Furthermore, the development of a life-course perspective could significantly improve understanding of the impact of care-experience over time. This article concludes by arguing that in the current climate, continued diversionary push-back from the youth justice system is vital. Crucially, this could help further reduce the number of First Time Entrants in the justice system, and ultimately offer the best prospects for reducing the number of children who move between care and custody.
AB - This article charts new ground by exploring the important increase in awareness surrounding the care-crime connection in recent years. The over-representation of care-experienced individuals in criminal justice settings has long been taken-for-granted. However, there has been a recent surge of interest in England and Wales in the need to avoid unnecessarily criminalising looked after children, and support those with care-experience in prison. Paradoxically, this increased awareness has occurred at the same time as a climate of crisis has threatened both the care system’s and the prison system’s capacity to function effectively. Despite the current climate, this article argues that things can be done to challenge the care-crime connection. Such strategies include: changing our language, connecting distinct policy priorities and moving beyond the limits of the law. Furthermore, the development of a life-course perspective could significantly improve understanding of the impact of care-experience over time. This article concludes by arguing that in the current climate, continued diversionary push-back from the youth justice system is vital. Crucially, this could help further reduce the number of First Time Entrants in the justice system, and ultimately offer the best prospects for reducing the number of children who move between care and custody.
KW - Looked after children
KW - care system
KW - youth justice
KW - prison system
KW - crisis
M3 - Journal article
VL - 32
SP - 103
EP - 118
JO - Child and Family Law Quarterly
JF - Child and Family Law Quarterly
SN - 1358-8184
IS - 2
ER -