First Minister opens vital discussion about the future of youth justice

Pictured: Professor Jonathan Evans (above) and Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, The First Minister (below)

Last week, (11 November), Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, The First Minister opened a webinar addressing youth justice policy and practice in Wales.

Hosted by University of South Wales (USW), the event was attended by academics, students, and professionals in the criminal justice field.

Other key speakers included Lynzi Jarman, Youth Justice Board Cymru, and Dr Sue Thomas, Youth Justice Board Cymru (speaking in a personal capacity).

A former youth justice worker himself, the First Minister talked about the importance of devolving all youth justice services to the Senedd, whilst also celebrating the successes of the youth justice system in working across the divide the last 20 years.

Jonathan Evans, Professor of Youth Justice Policy and Practice at USW, said: “It is widely recognised that many, if not most, of the services that are integral to youth justice in Wales fall under the auspices of the Welsh Government. The extent of the Welsh Government’s involvement, with some estimating that as much as 70% of youth justice services require devolved funding, has prompted calls for youth justice powers to be transferred from the UK Parliament to the Welsh Senedd. This includes the Welsh Government’s own longstanding commitment to the devolution of youth justice to Wales as well as the recommendations set out in the Thomas Commission’s report in 2019.

“Our recently published paper assesses the extent to which Welsh policy has continued to diverge from England since the formative years of devolution. The arguments presented contribute to emerging discussions over the future of criminal justice policy in Wales and form part of a wider criminological research agenda.”