Professor advises Parliament on youth justice system reform
Expertise from Manchester Metropolitan University is helping to shape the future of the youth justice system by addressing the key challenges it currently faces around racial disparity, neurodiversity and youth custody.
Hannah Smithson, Professor of Youth Justice at Manchester Met, led a parliamentary seminar Reforming the Youth Justice System at the House of Lords.
Attended by Sir Nic Dakin, Youth Justice Minister, leading academics in youth justice, representatives from the Department for Education, the Youth Endowment Fund, the Ministry of Jusitce and the Youth Custody Service, Prof Smithson led a discussion around whether the youth justice system is fit for purpose.
Prof Smithson presented recent evidence, findings and recommendations which included a commitment to addressing racial disparity in the youth justice system by reducing school exclusions of racially minoritised children, improving and increasing ‘cultural humility’ of professionals and partners in the system, monitoring racial disparity and holding organisations accountable.
With at least one in three children in the youth justice system thought to be neurodivergent, recommendations were made for additional resources in the community and custody to support neurodivergent children alongside speech and language therapy resources.
Evidence also highlighted that 44% of children in custody were on remand in 2024 and 64% did not receive a custodial sentence. Recommendations were made to provide community alternatives to custodial remand which could include remand to local authority provision, remand fostering, and community provision.
Prof Smithson said: “The House of Lords event brought together key academics, ministers and policymakers in the youth justice sector to discuss how we can better work together and utilise our expertise in this area to make impactful policy changes.
“It’s wonderful to see how expertise from Manchester Met is leading the way in the youth justice sector and I’m looking forward to seeing how these conversations continue to develop over the coming months.”
The occasion marked the end of Prof Smithson’s MetroPolis Chancellor’s Fellowship, a University initiative offering placements to researchers to develop policy-related impact linked to their research.
As part of her fellowship, Prof Smithson worked with the Centre for Young Lives, founded by Baroness Anne Longfield, to develop their priorities for government by providing evidence to help inform decisions.
Prof Smithson will continue working with the Centre for Young Lives as a Visiting Fellow and develop a youth justice strategy outlining their priorities over the coming months.
