Recommendation 19

We welcome the work being done to improve transition planning, and we note that work is under way in the Ministry of Justice on how best to manage transition into adult custodial settings for those who turn 18. While cut-off points between youth and adult justice are necessary, we acknowledge concerns, not least from Young Advisers with practical experience, that the simple change from being 17 to 18 may not denote full maturity in some young people who are in custody, and that the transition may prove to be what the Chief Inspector of Probation calls a ‘cliff edge’ for those individuals.