Managing the transfer process

Despite strong evidence that the transition to adulthood is a process, not a single moment in time, criminal justice agencies’ responses to young offenders change as soon as they turn 18. The case transfer process between Youth Offending Services and adult probation is crucial. There is a real risk that any positive work that has been done in the youth justice system will be undone by this ‘cliff edge’. During the transition, young adults may be seen as a risk to be managed rather than as vulnerable young people to support as they navigate their development into adults.

T2A recommends that all youth offending services and probation services develop effective arrangements to manage the transfer process to ensure that young adults receive the support they need to comply with their community sentence, custodial sentence and post-custody licence. Practitioners should be aware of the guidance on managing the transition process developed by the Prison and Probation service.