Young people (aged 18-25) in England and Wales are coming under ‘intense pressure’ to plead guilty to crimes without fully understanding the consequences, a report by criminal justice watchdog Fair Trials has found.
The report, ‘Young minds, big decisions’, published last week, also uncovered ‘significant levels’ of distrust of lawyers and the legal system, with many young people preferring to rely on the advice of other defendants and prisoners.
Under-25-year-olds make up 10% of the general population but 30-40% of criminal cases, including policing time, probation supervision and prison entrants.
Fair Trials’ legal director (UK & international) Bruno Min said: ‘No one should be coerced into pleading guilty to an offence they have not committed but the government has been introducing laws that incentivise more people to plead guilty and avoid a trial.’
