A Critical Gap
Across the UK, youth crime has declined significantly over the past five years. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of children entering the criminal justice system — whether through arrest, charge, or custody — fell steadily, reaching record lows across all regions by 2021. Although England and Wales saw a modest increase in 2022–2023, overall levels remain far below pre-2019 figures.
Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to report extremely low numbers of justice-involved children compared with England and Wales. This reflects long-standing differences in approach, with a stronger emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and diversion away from formal criminal justice processes.
At the same time, UK authorities have become increasingly alert to the exploitation of children within criminal activity. Each year, thousands of children who come into contact with the justice system are identified as potential victims of trafficking or modern slavery. Referrals of children to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) have risen consistently, particularly in England, indicating growing recognition of criminal exploitation rather than increased offending.
Data published by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office confirms this dual trend: a reduction in child offenders overall, alongside a sharp increase in safeguarding referrals for children who may be victims of modern slavery. Between 2022 and 2024, children made up a significant proportion of all NRM referrals, with criminal exploitation—most commonly linked to county lines activity—accounting for around half of all child referrals by 2024.
However, a critical gap remains in the national evidence base. While NRM data clearly demonstrates the scale of child exploitation into criminal activity, the UK does not publish linked data showing how many of these children are subsequently charged or prosecuted. Without this information, it is impossible to assess at a national level whether statutory duties to protect child victims are being consistently upheld or whether exploited children continue to be drawn into punitive criminal justice responses.
The picture that emerges is therefore complex: fewer children are offending; more are being recognised as victims — yet the system lacks transparency on what happens when these two realities collide. This is the reason Ending Coercive Offending has been established. We want these figures to be shared, and any criminalisation of exploited children to end.
Read more: Youth Justice Outcomes for Children (2019–2023) by UK
Written by: Sherry Peck