Victims first? Examining the place of ‘child criminal exploitation’ within ‘child first’ youth justice

Abstract

‘Child first’ principles have become increasingly prevalent within youth justice policy in England and Wales. In parallel, the concept of ‘child criminal exploitation’ (CCE) has also emerged. On the surface, CCE compliments ‘child first’ principles by reconceptualising ‘young offenders’, who would previously have been criminalised, as children who are victims of exploitation. However, this article identifies two areas of conflict: rather than being diversionary, current responses to CCE further entrench children in the justice system; and, rather than responding holistically to unmet need among all children involved in offending, the concept of CCE functions to exclude some children from support.