Broke but not broken. What the academic literature and young adults tell us about the interplay between poverty, inequality and repeat contact with policing

16 December 2021

Broke but not broken. What the academic literature and young adults tell us about the interplay between poverty, inequality and repeat contact with policing

Inequalities, Lived experience, Policing, Policing and arrest, Poverty

Open report

How do we recognise the impact of poverty on 18-25-year-olds who encounter the criminal justice system? The contribution of young people to this report, through peer-led qualitative research, provides insight into the impact of inequality on their involvement with the police.

Publisher: Revolving Doors Agency
Authors: Lauren Bennett, Burcu Borysik, Rose Dowling and Tracy Shildrick

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