Prosecuting Young Adults: The potential for taking account of maturity at the charge and prosecution stage of the CJS

10 July 2013

Prosecuting Young Adults: The potential for taking account of maturity at the charge and prosecution stage of the CJS

This report makes the case for maturity to be taken into account during prosecution. It recommends the Crown Prosecution Service, police, and defence lawyers be given training and guidance about maturity and that agencies try to use conditional cautions for young adults. It also suggests that a definition of maturity should be provided to the courts before prosecution.

Publisher: Criminal Justice Alliance

prison, young adults

Raise the Bars: Co-producing practice guidance with Romany Gypsy and Irish Traveller people

This Friends, Families and Travellers report summarises focus groups with 57 Romany, Gypsy and Irish Traveller young adults across 20 prisons, with recommendations for reform based on their experiences.

Criminal Justice, young adults

Behind the decline

This Centre for Crime and Justice Studies report looks at the shrinking young adult population within the criminal justice system who are experiencing increasingly harsher treatment.

May 2026