Innovation and Justice

The Challenge

The financial cost of crime is enormous - the Home Office puts this at nearly £60billion a year. This constitutes a rise from 2% of GDP to 2.5% over the last ten years - a higher per capita level than the US or any EU country. The Social Exclusion Unit estimated that re-offending by ex prisoners alone cost the public £11billion annually. The cost of a prison place is over £40,000 pa per adult, and much higher for young offenders and according to recent research, incarceration is the least cost-effective intervention.

Innovation is required within the criminal justice system as there is a widely held view clearly supported by evidence that current models are under-performing, failing or have ceased to be adequate.

We are exploring ideas for more effective methods for preventing offending and reducing the number of young people returning to prison. The Young Foundation's research team are progressing with an innovative programme to explore this challenge, more information can be found here