Help reduce youth crime by making criminal law education part of the Curriculum

There are many situations where young people unknowingly or unintentionally commit offences and sometimes commit offences due to being led astray or due to peer pressure and not knowing how to avoid certain situations. Youth crime is only increasing, and one of the many factors in that equation is the lack of knowledge and education.

Here are some Youth Statistics published in 2025 for the year 2023-2024: 

1. Just under 8,300 children became first time entrants into the Justice System

2. 35,600 offences committed by children were proven which is a 4% rise and an increase for the 2^nd consecutive year.

3. 660 children were sentenced to a custodial sentence which is an increase of 21% and is the first increase of custodial sentences in the last 10 years.

4. The reoffending rate of children committing offences increased for the 2^nd consecutive year to 32.5%

My personal opinion is that it is hypocritical of us as a country to punish children for their wrongdoing when they have not been educated to be able to make informed decisions. Of course, I am not talking about prolific young offenders who do know the law and choose to disregard it. I am talking about the first-time offenders. We are basically punishing them for ignorance that we have created. Those that will then disregard that knowledge will then rightly be prosecuted, but we need to give our young people the tools so that they can hopefully make the right decisions and better protect themselves. Another tool, that a legal education would provide our children with is legal thinking/reasoning skills. 

In the words of Michael J. Broyde and Ira Bedzow, primary and secondary education are meant to provide children with the tools necessary to be productive adults in the real world. Students gain academic knowledge and analytic skills by learning science, math, literature, and history. They develop social skills by participating in sports teams and clubs. Yet law is not taught unless it’s to aspiring lawyers. 

I believe there is currently a barrier between our young people and the law which we need to dismantle if we are to see a change, namely a reduction, in youth crime which in turn will likely reduce adult crime. Too often do children involved in crime become further embroiled in the Criminal Justice System (bringing its own issues of obtaining new negative behaviours, addictions and associations). In turn, it places more pressure on our amazing support agencies such as the Youth Offending Team and charities out there, providing all the support and guidance that they can, but being overburdened and underfunded.  

I am in no way suggesting that education of the law is the only factor in youth offending. The ease of access to drugs and weapons are factors, as are socio-economic factors, social disadvantage and familial factors including upbringing and levels of morality to name a few. There is a plethora of amazing research conducted to prove this, but the lack of knowledge is also instrumental to offending.

Unlike most subjects, Law is not accessible to children in books. If a young person, for example, wants to learn about different countries or how our bodies work, they can look it up within age appropriate literature or age appropriate websites. If you want to know when self defence becomes assault or why holding drugs for friend is illegal, you are overwhelmed with legal articles and legislation which have their own subsections and appendices. There is also a lack of knowledge about what happens if you do commit a crime, as in the process and consequences. So, in addition to not teaching our young people this, the complicated legal jargon prevents young people from self-educating as well. 

An education into basic criminal law will provide our children with knowledge about the law and legal thinking/reasoning skills enabling them to apply it the real life situations that will inevitably arise for every young person as they navigate friendships, peer pressure, sexual curiosities and financial independence to name a few.

The UK Department of Education provides statutory guidance called Keeping Children Safe in Education to ensure schools/colleges follow their legal duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people. This includes safeguarding and prioritising education to ensure schools contribute to preventing criminal behaviour among young people. By not including compulsory lessons on criminal law within the curriculum, we are failing to do this. We are overlooking a possible resolution (albeit not a remedy); to reduce criminality amongst young people and adults, to make our communities safer, to reduce the pressure on our Criminal Justice System and its supporting agencies/charities and reduce the burden/expense on the Legal Aid purse (tax payers money). We are overlooking another way to promote wellbeing in and the safeguarding of our children by providing them with more tools/comprehension to safely and informedly navigate their way to adulthood. 

If the above does not provide enough reasons as to why the Government should implement this change, then we should remember that young people want to participate in social change and we should want them to be able to do this. Afterall, they are the next generation of Politicians, Police, Heads of fundamental charities and organisations. They are our next law makers and changers. But how can they participate, see flaws in the system or have their own views when they do not know or understand the foundations of law and the Criminal Justice System that governs it. 

If you agree please sign and verify your signature at: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/712115

Please share far and wide to friends and family so that we can try and given this petition the thousands of signatures it needs.

By Aysha Moore