‘It’s a No-Win Scenario,either the Police or the Gang Will Get You’: Young People and Organised Crime – Vulnerable or Criminal?

Abstract

The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy for England and Wales made a commitment to develop preventive educational resources for use with young people on the topic of organised crime. This article presents findings from a UK Home Office funded project, which was aimed at developing and subsequently evaluating these resources, and explores their wider implications for youth crime prevention policy within the United Kingdom and internationally. Based on interviews with youth practitioners and young people, the project found that many young people with vulnerabilities (such as learning difficulties) were in turn vulnerable to exploitation by criminal groups, that the reasons for young people becoming involved in organised crime were complex including a desire to provide for their families in a climate of austerity and unemployment and that positive relationships with professionals and long-term support were significant for youth crime prevention.