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By E Hoxha
The effectiveness of youth groups on youth crime is a big question among people and the media, is it working? Why are we still seeing youth violence? Is it worth the money? This article aims to discuss the effectiveness and what impact youth groups are having on young people, crime rates, and society.
Youth crime background
Before examining the effectiveness of youth groups, we need to start by understanding what youth groups and youth intervention programmes are working against and the main factors and trends in youth crime.
Youth crime is a prevalent issue as it has a direct effect on social and economic aspects in society. The average cost of keeping a single child in a Young Offender Institution is around £119,000 per year. A cost that is funded by taxpayers and the government, therefore directly affects the community. As youth sentencing rates increase, so increased levels of funding will be required.
A key part of the cost to society is that these institutions are not improving the rehabilitation of young people, as reoffending has increased to 32.5%.19 Therefore, these institutions are having an increased economic impact on society, year after year, as they are not deterring young people from committing crimes or intervening in the risk factors associated with youth crime. If 30 fewer children avoided a custodial sentence, it would have saved an estimated £4 million - £9 million between March 2023 and March 2024.20
During the years 2023 to 2024, the number of sentencing occasions involving minors had increased by 8% compared to the previous year in England and Wales, which is the second consecutive year-on-year increase.21 The same publication revealed there was an increase of 21% in the number of custodial sentences compared to the previous year. It also revealed in the year ending March 2024, there were 6,607 arrests of young people in South Yorkshire, a decrease compared to 7,354 in the year ending March 2020.
Some of the common crimes committed by young people have been burglary, which has risen by 37% and theft and handling of stolen goods, an increase 23% compared to the previous year. However, there was a decrease in crimes such as drug offences by 16% and criminal damage by 9%.22 This reveals that children are committing crimes that give more material and financial reward, a predictable response to financial hardship. This could show that youth groups and invention programmes may need to involve more opportunities, such as paid work experience, to give young people a legal positive way of earning money and influence these statistics to decrease.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) states that children involved in drug offences and crime are often victims.23 They are more vulnerable, often experienced parental substance misuse, neglect, and violence in the home. Children involved in gang crime are 68% more likely than other young offenders to have a parent with substance misuse issues.24
Intervention methods
The patterns explored previously show that current custodial systems are not working in reducing youth crime and often are too late to make a difference. This is why non-custodial, early interventions and youth groups are often recommended as an approach to youth crime. The College of Policing states that “they aim to prevent the escalation of offending, including intergenerational cycles of crime, and reduce the demand that families may place on services”.25 The general aim of these programmes and groups is to give community-based support that prevents and removes young people from being involved with serious crime and reoffending.
Interventions typically focus on supporting young people at risk whilst addressing the root causes of offending. This is often achieved by giving young people a community and a sense of belonging to reduce the chance of them seeking this feeling in gangs and peer groups that are involved in crime.
Early Interventions can be provided by schools and involve local community-based charities, which involve identifying the early signs of risk and involvement in crime as early as possible to prevent behaviour and actions escalating to persistent and more serious offending. They can offer behaviour support services, which can help young people to manage negative emotions, develop self-regulation skills and conflict resolution, helping young people to engage more. Another method is mentoring or peer mentoring, as children are more likely to join a gang due to their need for a social group that will protect them, according to the NSPCC.26 Mentors provide a safe person a child can trust who will direct them away from criminal activities, whilst addressing the loneliness or isolation a child may feel which is a risk factor for youth crime.
Collectively or alone, these approaches aim to address the root causes of young people at risk of being involved in youth crime and improve a child's resilience to being pressured or manipulated into being involved, as well as keeping them engaged in positive environments and school. A research report by the Scottish government found that “school and education-based approaches are effective in reducing youth violence” which included social and emotional learning programmes.”27
Evaluation on effectiveness
Demonstrating the effectiveness of these programmes is crucial, as it informs the community and government whether they are worth funding, informs policy making, and provides credibility for continued use and expansion of these programmes. By utilising research, testimonials from professionals involved and recorded improvements in local and national areas, such as school engagement and offending rates, we are then able to assess how effective these programmes and interventions are.
The first piece of evidence comes from the Home Office evaluation report in February 2025.28 The report consists of an evaluation of the Early Intervention Youth Fund (EIYF), an initiative funded by the Home Office aiming to reduce young people's involvement in crime. It covers the first 29 EIYF projects, assessing the implementation and its overall outcome and impact. The evaluation included a control group to provide a baseline comparison to its findings.
The analysis of data shows a significant reduction in drug-related offences of 23% and a reduction of 33% in public order offences in EIYF areas (compared to non-funded control group areas). It also showed a 17% reduction in violence against the person. Whilst there was no reduction compared to control groups in offences such as robbery, criminal damage or theft, there was no increase in these offences. Testimonial evidence from the evaluation included police officers reporting that there was a reduction in specific young people in local hotspots, and during nights an EIYF session was being delivered, there was a reported reduction in Anti-Social Behaviour during that time. The young people involved with these projects provided testimonial evidence on the impact of the project on their behaviour and involvement in criminal activities, with one young person stating, “I used to get involved in robbing and that. Instead of going out with all the bad people, I just come here and box.”29
Measurable differences were observed in young people's behaviour, such as evidence of improved school attendance by participants. As well as following one-to-one mentoring through the programme, there was evidence of improved behaviour and school progress from the young people. Overall, the report found that the project had made improvements to crime rates and the young people's behaviour and lives.
Another research report by the Department of Education, aims to provide an understanding of ‘what works’ in early interventions intended to prevent and reduce youth crime or anti-social behaviour in children aged 8 or above.30 This research found that Safer School Partnerships (SSPs) projects resulted in increased attendance when comparing 15 schools with SSPs in place to a sample group of 15 schools that did not. Attendance can decrease risk factors of being involved in youth crime, as it provides a structured environment where children can feel a sense of belonging. As well as being important for teachers to observe a child's behaviour and notice any changes in behaviour or risk factors, with studies showing that children who were absent 20% or more of school were 3.10 times more likely to be involved in police recorded offending.31 Early findings found that the use of Intensive Intervention Projects (IIPs) resulted in improvements to attendance, self-esteem, communication in families and reduced anti-social behaviour.
The research concluded by highlighting that there was a need for more well-designed programmes that were effective. A key argument for the use of early intervention programmes is to keep young people out of the judicial system and save money; therefore, the programmes in place need to be effective, otherwise it’s a poor investment and makes youth intervention less effective.
The next evaluation focused on police led youth interventions; it discusses the impact and effectiveness of interventions in England.32 It showed that the project had reasonable success in reducing offending rates, as out of the 69 active participants in the project, only 4 had offended since engagement, indicating that the programme had a significant reduction in reoffending. It is difficult to estimate a cost-to-benefit ratio; the research suggested that the project had returns of 170% suggesting that the project generated considerably more social and economic value than it costs to run.
The final report came from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and discussed the long-term effects of youth groups and explored the effects of participation in youth clubs on outcomes later in life and used datasets spanning over 2 decades.33
The study found that youth groups have the short-term effects of participants feeling increased confidence, safer and experienced a sense of belonging. The long-term effects were found that 46% youth club participants had a higher academic background (NVQ4+) in adulthood. Being in post-secondary education has been shown to improve someone's likelihood of not being involved in crime.34 Research shows that the young adults who had received a custodial sentence have a lower level of educational achievement, with only 36.9% achieving the expected level of English and maths by the end of key stage 2, compared with 72.4% of those without criminal convictions.35 These differences highlight how youth groups, through building confidence, connection, and long-term educational engagement, may contribute to breaking the cycle of offending.
Testimonial evidence on effectiveness
Whilst research is crucial to understand the effectiveness of youth groups, first-hand accounts from people directly involved in working with young people is equally important. Their experience and direct involvement provide an insight into youth groups’ effect on children’s lives and the community around them.
Jack Harvey is a trainee teacher in Sheffield and an Assistant Instructor at NEST ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) TAEKWONDO, Rotherham. In his own words, Jack explains his perception on effects of youth groups on young people’s lives:
“For the last 13 years, I have practiced, lived, and breathed traditional taekwondo. My journey began when I was six, I trained for 6 years and began my instructing career when I achieved my 1st degree black belt at age 12. Now at 19 I can say I have seen ways that martial arts changes lives in ways that few people outside of the sport would believe. What might look like just kicking and punching from the outside is, in truth, a structured path that that keeps children away from gangs, violence, and the kind of danger that is all too easy to fall into growing up in current time.
Our club is a small, local space and most students come from the same community with all different backgrounds. Some come to build confidence, some to increase their level of discipline, and some because they’re at risk of going down the wrong path. Over the years, I’ve seen kids walk through our doors angry, lost, and lacking direction, only to find focus and pride through Taekwondo. Martial arts don’t just teach you how to fight; they teach you when not to. It’s about control, respect, and the ability to walk away from danger rather than get caught up in it, as well as giving children a place to positively interact with peers and develop relationships with role models who they can trust to talk to.
Being a younger instructor gives me a unique perspective because of that; I often relate to the younger students differently. They open up to me about what’s going on in their lives, things they might not tell other adults. I’ve seen kids who were going down the path of youth crime swap that environment for training sessions and friendships, support that lifts them up. When I see those same kids earning belts, smiling, and showing respect, it reminds me why I do this.
I have learned that Taekwondo’s greatest strength is in its ability to keep people grounded and safe. Personally, I have seen this group and similar groups working with young people turn lives around and have a positive impact on behaviour, aspirations, school involvement, and children's relationships with safe, positive influences.
Martial arts, at its heart, is about avoiding danger, not chasing it. And in a world where so many young people are tempted by risky choices, sometimes all it takes is stepping onto the mats to find a better path."
Youth crime continues to place significant stress and pressure on society and the economy; the evidence that has been outlined demonstrates that custodial approaches are not cost effective or not successful in reducing offending rates in young people.
However, research and reports referenced here has shown that intervention programmes and youth groups have a measurable impact on young people’s behaviour, education engagement and life outcomes. Reduction in drug related offences, and improvement in educational attendance and achievement, does indicate that these interventions are effective in addressing youth crime causes, consequences and positive impacts all round.
Whilst youth violence remains a hot topic in the media and communities, this is not an indication that youth groups are ineffective; it simply reflects the complexity of youth crime and the financial and social factors surrounding it.
The question we ask about youth groups shouldn’t be “are youth groups effective?” but rather "how consistently are they implemented, funded, supported and targeted at children at risk".
Continued funding and investment is a key component, not only due to the ‘spend to save’ model, but because early investment leads to long term socioeconomic benefits, improved community safety, and offers young people greater opportunities.
Ultimately, youth groups are not a single solution but a key part in a wider preventative approach. When they are adequately funded, evidence based, and focus on identifying and resolving risk factors, youth programmes are shown to be effective.
Further Reading
[19] Youth justice board, 'Youth Justice Statistics: 2023 to 2024' (Gov UK, 30 January 2025) <https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-statistics-2023-to-2024/youth-justice-statistics-2023-to-2024#further-information>
[20] The youth justice board, 'Youth Justice Board Cost Benefit Analysis (July 2025)' (Youth Justice Resource Hub, 4 July 2025)<https://yjresourcehub.uk/youth-justice-board-cost-benefit-analysis-2025/>
[21] Youth justice board, 'Youth Justice Statistics: 2023 to 2024' (Gov UK, 30 January 2025) <https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-statistics-2023-to-2024/youth-justice-statistics-2023-to-2024#further-information>
[22] Youth justice board, 'Youth Justice Statistics: 2023 to 2024' (Gov UK, 30 January 2025) <https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-statistics-2023-to-2024/youth-justice-statistics-2023-to-2024#further-information>
[23] Nspcc, 'Protecting children from county lines' (Learningnspccorguk, 18 February 2025) <https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/county-lines>
[24] Children's commissioner for England, 'Keeping kids safe: Improving safeguarding responses to gang violence and criminal exploitation'(Childrenscommissionergovuk, February 2019) <https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2019/02/CCO-Gangs.pdf>
[25] College of policing , 'Vulnerability and Violent Crime Programme Evaluation of the Think Family Early Intervention programme Full technical report' (College of Policing , July 2021) <https://assets.college.police.uk/s3fs-public/2021-07/vvcp-evaluation-tfei-key-findings-practice-implications.pdf?v=1626108484>
[26] Nspcc, 'Protecting children from county lines' (Learningnspccorguk, 18 February 2025) <https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/county-lines>
[27] Dr Kirsten Russell, 'What Works to Prevent Youth Violence: A Summary of the Evidence' (Svrucouk, February 2021)<https://www.svru.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/570415_SCT0121834710-001_p2_YVMainReport.pdf>
[28, 29] Home office, 'Evaluation of the Early Intervention Youth Fund: Impact report' (Gov UK, 13 February 2025)<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-early-intervention-youth-fund-impact-report/evaluation-of-the-early-intervention-youth-fund-impact-report>
[30] Andy ross and others, 'Prevention and Reduction: A review of strategies for intervening early to prevent or reduce youth crime and anti-social behaviour' (Department for Education, UK Government, Unknown date)<https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7a36f2e5274a34770e5114/DFE-RR111.pdf>
[31] Dr Jasmine Rollings and others, 'Association between school exclusion, suspension, absence and violent crime' (Youth Endowment Fund, February 2023) <https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/secondary-data-analysis/an-examination-of-the-association-between-school-absence-exclusion-and-violent-crime/>
[32] Jonathan Hobson and others, 'International Criminal Justice Review' [2018] 31(3) Are Police-Led Social Crime Prevention Initiatives Effective? A Process and Outcome Evaluation of a UK Youth Intervention <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1057567718814891>
[33] Sqw group, 'Youth provision and life outcomes: A study of longitudinal research' (Govuk, February 2024)<https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fac3c3703c42001158f03f/Strand_1_Report_-_Youth_Evidence_Base_-_SQW_v13-accessible.pdf>
[34] Brian Bell and others, 'Why Does Education Reduce Crime?' [2022] 130(3) The University of Chicago Press: Journals<https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/717895>
[35] Office for national statistics, 'The education and social care background of young people who interact with the criminal justice system: May 2022' (Onsgovuk, 11 May 2022)<https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/educationandchildcare/articles/theeducationandsocialcarebackgroundofyoungpeo
plewhointeractwiththecriminaljusticesystemmayy2022#educational-attainment-at-key-stage-2-and-key-stage-4>
