Call for ex-offenders to lead agency to help vulnerable young people into work

By Janaki Mahadevan Thursday, 07 April 2011

An agency led by ex-offenders should be created to help vulnerable young people into work, a consultation with young people on the fringes of the criminal justice system has found.

What’s Your Story? sets out recommendations based on the views of 582 young people aged 12 to 27 across England, who are either ex-offenders or are at risk of entering the criminal justice system.

Led by charity User Voice, the report said a national employment agency led and staffed by ex-offenders would help to drive down levels of unemployment and crime. According to the research, government should also offer incentives to encourage employers to take on ex-offenders.

Mark Johnson, founder of User Voice, said: "Despite the level of exclusion these young people experienced, and the chaotic nature of many of their lives, this project has shown they have much to add in improving criminal justice services.

"The overarching conclusion of this work is that excluded young people be given more opportunity to engage in improving the services that seek to address their offending. This is more, not less important as public spending cuts impact on services. Local justice agencies need to work together in developing more effective feedback procedures and in enabling excluded youth to play a collective role in securing better outcomes."
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