Survey: One in Nine UK Teens Approached by Criminals
Can focused deterrence rescue exploited youth from crime, or is incarceration needed to end the epidemic?
Above: A stock photo illustration of youths dressed in black. Image credit: Ashley Cooper/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
The criminal exploitation of teenagers has reached alarming levels, with thousands across England and Wales recruited by gangs to smuggle drugs, store weapons and move cash. A policy of focused rehabilitation could be the key to tackling this crisis, by punishing the crime but, through coordinated support and positive interventions, primarily helping the youths involved.
Right narrative
Britain faces a child crime epidemic that fantasies about rehabilitation cannot fix, as some young offenders are fundamentally dangerous and beyond rescue. Troubled backgrounds, therefore, cannot be used to excuse heinous acts and avoid prison time; to do so would only enable this kind of unacceptable behavior to continue unchecked, putting more people at risk.