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

April 2026
Joint Enterprise: A view over time

The report looks at two decades of data on joint enterprise, finding a disproportionate impact on young adults and persistent racial disparities.

September 2025
From exploited to exploiter?

This report looks at how to prevent the unjust criminalisation of victims of child criminal exploitation in the transition to adulthood.

Criminal Justice, young adults
Smaller but tougher: How the criminal justice system is processing young adults

This Centre for Crime and Justice Studies report looks at harsher outcomes experienced by young adults in the criminal justice system over time.