10 July 2017

Judging Maturity: Exploring the role of maturity in the sentencing of young adults

Courts and sentencing, Sentencing

Open report

How can we ensure maturity is considered by sentencers in assessments of culpability and that judicial decision-making is consistent? This research explores trends in the way courts deal with young adults, through an analysis of 174 senior judgments, examining examples of judicial decisions tailored to individual needs. It looks at how the law and sentencing guidance discourage this approach.

Publisher: Howard League for Penal Reform

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
Reimagining justice for children and young adults