Report: Youth Crime, Youth Justice, and County Line Child Exploitation

This report provides an overview of youth crime and youth justice within the United Kingdom's legal framework, with a specific focus on the issue of county lines child exploitation. It defines youth crime as illegal behavior by minors and youth justice as the legal system's response to such actions. The report emphasizes the objective of preventing offending and exploitation among young people. The main body of the report explores the context of child criminal exploitation within county lines, where individuals or groups exploit children under 18, often using technology and manipulation. It highlights the prevalence of this issue, the involvement of gangs, and the use of violence, drugs, and alcohol to coerce young people into criminal activities. The report also discusses relevant legislations and guidelines for child protection in the UK, the common drugs involved, and the enforcement of laws against perpetrators. The conclusion summarizes factors that increase a child's vulnerability and the impact of county lines on the lives of children, including sexual exploitation, violence, and trafficking. The report is supported by references to academic sources.

YOUTH CRIME
AND YOUTH
JUSTICE

TABLE OF CONTENT
◦ INTRODUCTION
◦ MAIN BODY
◦ CONCLUSION
◦ REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION
◦ Youth crime is also known as Juvenile delinquency. It means participation of illegal behaviour by
minors. Youth justice means providing justice to minors under the legal system of United Kingdom.
◦ In England and Wales, it means to convict, prosecute and punish people under the age of 18 for crime
committed by them.
◦ The main objective of youth justice is to make sure that offending and exploitation is been prevented by
young adults and children.
◦ Present report will lay emphasis on county line child exploitation.

MAIN BODY
◦ Youth crime and youth justice: county line child exploitation
◦ Child criminal exploitation situation mainly appears in county line. In this situation an individual or
group of people who are in power take advantage of young adults and children.
◦ They can manipulate and deceive child under the age of 18 (Harding, 2020).
◦ Evidence suggests that around 46000 children in England are assumed to be engaged in gangs. 90% of
the English police has witnessed county lines activities in areas where they work and violence is being
increasing day by day.

CONT..
◦ Child criminal exploitation is most common in county lines. In this the individual or group take advantages of
those who are below 18 years.
◦ The exploitation may not include any type of physical contact. It can also be done by making use of technology.
This can affect lives of children and young people just like any other type of abuse.
◦ It can affect any child who is below the age of 18 years.
◦ In this exploitation is been accompanied by violence.
◦ It is formulated by power imbalance in favour of those who are perpetrating the exploitation.
◦ The age is most obvious factor in power imbalance but there can also be various other factors such as gender,
living condition, status, ability, physical power.

CONT..
◦ Perpetrators make use of drugs and alcohol so that they
can take young people into gang lifestyle activities.
◦ It can make young people face drug related debts and
then in future they have to repay these debts with the
help of county lines activities.
◦ This is being referred as debt bondage. There is also
strong connection of physical violence with county
lines activities such as knife and gun crime.

CONT..
◦ There are various legislations and guidelines published across whole
United Kingdom where they have core responsibility of protecting
and safeguarding children.
◦ Various laws are being made related to same.
◦ The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for child
protection in England.
◦ The most common drugs which are been supplied in county lines is
heroin and cocaine.
◦ The data from 2018 has identified that the victim aged are mostly
between 11-16.

CONT..
◦ There is various enforcement of laws in which the people who are been engaged in making children do
such type of activities are liable.
◦ They can be held in prison and also can be sued.
◦ These wider issues are being tackled by United Kingdom government.
◦ There are so many children who are been involved and forced in these type of activities.
◦ These are affecting their lives severely and also they become vulnerable after this situation

CONCLUSION
◦ From the above study it has been summarised that There are various factors which can increase up a child’s
vulnerability.
◦ It includes going through experiences related to physical sexual abuse previously.
◦ The county lines activities include exploiting of children and vulnerable children so that they can store and sell
drugs.
◦ Children are being forced to engaged in criminal activities and to keep secrets from their loved ones.
◦ County lines is one of the major issues that includes sexual exploitation, violence, gangs, criminal, children
trafficking, modern slavery.
◦ It has also been analysed that the county lines affect hugely the lives of children.

REFERENCES
◦ Robinson, G., McLean, R. and Densley, J., 2019. Working county lines: child criminal exploitation and
illicit drug dealing in Glasgow and Merseyside. International Journal of Offender Therapy and
Comparative Criminology, 63(5), pp.694-711.
◦ Moyle, L., 2019. Situating vulnerability and exploitation in street-level drug markets: Cuckooing,
commuting, and the “County Lines” drug supply model. Journal of Drug Issues, 49(4), pp.739-755.
◦ Harding, S., 2020. County Lines: Exploitation and Drug Dealing Amongst Urban Street Gangs. Policy
Press.
◦ Robinson, G., 2020. Gangs, county lines and child criminal exploitation: a case study of Merseyside
(Doctoral dissertation, Edge Hill University).
◦ Spicer, J., Moyle, L. and Coomber, R., 2019. The variable and evolving nature of ‘cuckooing’as a form
of criminal exploitation in street level drug markets. Trends in Organized Crime, pp.1-23.