Final Warning, Youth Justice And Early Intervention: Reflections On The Findings Of A Research Study Carried Out In Northern England

This paper reflects upon the findings of a qualitative study carried out into the operation of final warning in a metropolitan city in northern England. Specifically the research discussed here draws upon the experiences of police inspectors and final warning officers involved in the implementation, delivery and administration of final warning as well as of the young people on the receiving end of it. We argue that the reform continues to allow many of the problems of the previous caution and cautioning plus system but within a much more formal system that can work to the detriment of the young people involved. Not only does the paper suggests that the introduction of final warning has maintained many of the inconsistencies in police decision making associated with the previous system, it also suggests that the final warning reform has not enhanced the promotion of individual self responsibility through the introduction of earlier rehabilitative intervention as New Labour envisaged. Indeed we argue that the promotion of self-responsibility through a programme of early intervention can be undermined through organisational and professional values and cultures, as well as through the lack of engagement of the young people involved.