Children in conflict with the law often experience significant adversity – including poverty, exclusion, and discrimination – which affects how equitably they can participate in, or are treated by, the justice system. Minoritised groups are over-represented and criminalised, including children from racialised communities, living in poverty, with neurodiversity or communication needs.
Current research tends to focus on adult perspectives on children’s protected characteristics, rather than children’s voices. Michelle Donnelly is part of a team addressing this knowledge gap through a co-produced programme of peer-led research. The project team will answer the following questions:
- how do children in conflict with the law understand and experience protected characteristics?
- what are children’s perspectives on the relationship between intersecting protected characteristics?
- how do children describe and experience the intersection between protected characteristics and poverty?
- in what ways do children perceive that intersecting protected characteristics relate to their interactions with the justice system?
- what impact do intersectional inequalities and justice experiences have on how children think and feel about themselves, their offending behaviours, and their future?
- what do people who work in the justice system need to know and do to better understand children’s experiences and to change how things are done in the justice system?
- Funder: Nuffield Foundation
- Law school researcher: Dr Michelle Donnelly