In this report, we present the experiences of black and mixed heritage boys within youth offending services and partner agencies. The principal objectives of the consultation were to understand their experiences of going through the criminal justice system, and to identify any particular challenges they faced. Moreover, we aimed to assess the effectiveness and quality of the support received from Youth Offending Services.

On the 10th May 2021, User Voice held a series of virtual events about the transition out of COVID-19 for those in prison and on probation.

The virtual events brought together our National Service User Council and senior prison, probation, and health leaders within the Criminal Justice System.

The goal of these events was to communicate feedback from service users and to agree realistic and implementable solutions that will benefit everyone across the Criminal Justice System and the communities beyond.

Guest speakers included Amy Rees, the Director General of Probation and Wales, the Deputy Director of prisons Stephen O’Connell and Kate Davies, the Director of Health and Justice, Armed Forces and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) for NHS England.

Having directly engaged 23,000 people in prison and probation over the course of restrictions in 2020, Council members presented the issues and proposed solutions from the service user point of view.

This report is a summary of the issues, responses and solutions discussed at these virtual events.

Neurodiversity within the criminal justice system is an under-researched but vitally important issue. Neurodiversity covers many conditions related to how the brain functions including ADHD, autism, intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injury and motor disorders.

Estimates suggest that neurodiverse conditions are three times more common in the criminal justice system than in the general population. However, our findings indicate that there is limited screening for these conditions and the true figure may be much higher.

User Voice, a charity run by people with lived experience of the criminal justice system, directly engaged with 118 people in prison and on probation who had a diagnosed neurodiverse condition across 10 probation services in England.

This consultation was commissioned by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation as part of a wider review on neurodiversity in the criminal justice system being carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisons were rightly identified as a serious risk of contagion at the beginning of the COVID-19 emergency. The pandemic has seen restrictions introduced in UK prisons which wouldn’t have been out of place 100 years ago. And probation, that essential support service, was suddenly distant. What has been the effect of this on service users? How has the pandemic impacted people who are already locked down?

To reduce re-offending, West Yorkshire Police Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, asked the people who commit crime. Utilizing and valuing their experience, West Yorkshire PCC commissioned User Voice to ask service users what it takes to reduce crime in West Yorkshire.

We asked over 300 people in prison and on probation what they thought. Homelessness, mental health, education and addiction: these cause people to offend.

Armed with this information, West Yorkshire PCC have developed a reducing re-offending strategy that targets the causes of crime.

Knife crime is an issue of urgency and importance. Knife-related injuries and deaths have risen most sharply amongst our youth. Increases have been recorded in 42 of 44 police forces across England. Though media on the issue often focuses on London, the pressing need to reduce knife crime, find solutions and ultimately protect young lives is felt acutely at a national level.

To reduce knife crime, you need to know what drives it.