This month, the Ministry of Justice have published a new White Paper titled ‘Cutting youth crime, changing young lives’. To accompany the policy paper, they released the following statement:
“Over the last 2 decades, the youth justice system in England and Wales has delivered significant progress, with fewer children entering the system and fewer in custody. However, the children who now come into contact with the system often present with more complex needs, and existing arrangements have not kept pace.
Today (18 May 2026), the government has published the Youth Justice White Paper, setting out a comprehensive programme of reform to modernise the system. It establishes a clear direction toward earlier intervention, improving consistency and ensuring custody is used only where necessary.
Together, these changes mark a decisive shift towards a more preventative, joined-up and evidence-led system, better equipped to protect the public and improve outcomes for children, victims and communities.”
In the paper, they express the importance of Restorative Justice, naming Jacob Dunne as their expert advisor.
“…children who have committed a crime should truly understand the harm that crime can cause to others and to themselves – whether that crime was littering or knife possession. We will therefore consider how best practice around restorative justice, where children make good on the harm they have caused, through constructive activity in the community or with victims, can be built upon and expanded. The story of Jacob Dunne shows the power of restorative justice – we will draw on him as an expert adviser to inform our youth justice policy-making and plans, starting with a roundtable event that he and the minister for youth justice will chair with frontline services and voluntary sector specialists in the summer.”
We are delighted that Jacob will be involved in the future of shaping youth justice policy. His track-record of campaigning and advocacy, as well as his lived experience of Restorative Justice make him an ideal advisor. We look forward to seeing restorative principles more embedded in practice and the power of Restorative Justice utilised to its maximum potential.
