Innovation, Justice and Youth

Innovation within the criminal justice system and related spheres is desperately needed. Year on year we see a steady rise in the prison population, with especially alarming trends amongst young people, children, and women.

The case for innovation is clear: current methods, models and institutions are failing. We need innovative and effective ways of reducing re-offending in order to maximise human potential in the criminal justice arena whilst preventing unnecessary harm to both victims and offenders caused by excessive use of incarceration. To this end, the Young Foundation has recently embarked on a new programme of work entitled Innovation, Justice and Youth. The programme will focus primarily on children and young adults.

There are three key strands to this programme:

• Enabling innovation - identifying, empowering and promoting innovative approaches to reducing offending and the use of custody, and to maximise human potential among vulnerable populations
• Influencing policy – producing a number of policy reports focusing on key priority areas, including, for example, mental health and substance misuse and skills and learning
• Shifting public opinion – exploring how public opinion can support innovative approaches to reducing offending

The project is managed by Anton Shelupanov, Senior Research Associate for Criminal Justice and overseen by Rushanara Ali, Associate Director. The team at the Young Foundation will be supported by an Advisory Board.

The Project Advisers

• Angela Greatley, Chief Executive of the Sainsbury’s Centre for Mental Health
• Graham Lancaster, Chairman of Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster
• Jamie Bennett, Prison Governor and Editor of Prison Service Journal
• Peter Kellner, Founder of YouGov
• Rachel Lipscomb, Chair of Local Crime Community Sentence, former chair of the Magistrates Association
• Richard Garside, Director of the Centre Crime and Justice Studies
• Patricia Lankester, Young Foundation Adviser and former Director of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation
• Fiona Mactaggart MP
• Frances Crook, Director of the Howard League for Prison Reform
• Rob Allen, Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies, King’s College London
• Professor Rod Morgan
• Penelope Gibbs, Prison Reform Trust 

Contact:

Rushanara Ali, Associate Director, rushanara.ali(AT)youngfoundaiton.org or Anton Shelupanov, Senior Research Associate, anton.shelupanov(AT)youngfoundation.org or call 020 8980 6263.