A Trauma-informed approach to improving life chances of young adults in the criminal justice system

Abstract

Offending behaviour peaks in young adulthood, a period of continuing neurodevelopment, which the criminal justice system (CJS) frequently overlooks when dealing with those aged 18-24. There is an established link between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and subsequent adverse outcomes, including those relating to health and offending. A systematic scoping review conducted for this thesis confirmed a lack of evidence for effective interventions for young adults with a history of ACEs. This thesis sought to help address this evidence gap through conducting the following research.
Gateway Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) aimed to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Gateway court diversion programme on the health, wellbeing and reoffending of young adults. The trial was not completed due to significant, multifaceted challenges concerned with the eligible population estimate and participant recruitment and retention, which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gateway qualitative evaluation aimed to explore the implementation of the Gateway programme and the associated RCT, identifying barriers and enablers from the perspectives of Gateway programme staff and Gateway RCT recruiters. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed that the Gateway model was beneficial and feasible in principle, but its implementation was undermined by inter-agency friction, the inherent tensions of a police-led programme and operational barriers that impacted recruitment into the RCT.
ACEs multimethod substudy aimed to examine the prevalence of ACEs in the Gateway RCT sample, as well as understand the impact of childhood adversity on offending. This substudy combined quantitative analysis of ACE questionnaire data with a thematic analysis of qualitative interview data from police and programme staff. It confirmed a high prevalence of ACEs among participants, particularly in young women, and revealed a professional consensus around the ‘normalisation of the abnormal,’ which is experienced by children exposed to trauma, which shapes their future behaviour and life choices. At the same time, the police felt unequipped to act as frontline responders to the social and mental health crises stemming from childhood adversity and reduced dedicated services, which was made harder due to community mistrust.
This thesis presents an analysis of the challenges in implementing and evaluating trauma-informed interventions for vulnerable young adults. Although the RCT could not establish effectiveness, the research provides an account of the operational and ethical barriers to both implementing court diversion schemes and conducting research within the CJS. The findings suggest a need for a move away from police-led models towards independent leadership for diversion programmes. A significant reinvestment in community-based services is also required to address the root causes of offending. This reorientation is vital if young people are to be reframed not as offenders, but as survivors capable of transformation.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Julie Parkes: orcid.org/0000-0002-6490-395X

ORCID for Nisreen Alwan: orcid.org/0000-0002-4134-8463

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