Youth Unemployment and Covid-19: Avoiding the creation of a pandemic generation

There are nearly seven million 16-24 years olds in the UK; around 1 in 10 of the national population.
The scale of government responses across much of the world to the Covid-19 pandemic have been unprecedented in peacetime. Extensive business and employee support schemes (such as furloughing) have prevented an economic downturn turning into a huge crisis of mass unemployment and rapidly increasing poverty.

Delivering Probation during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has touched every aspect of society. It has shone a light on parts of society which tend to go unnoticed and highlighted the ways in which the disadvantaged bear the brunt of events like this. In relation to the criminal justice system, there has been a focus on the policing of lockdown laws and how to protect people in prisons. But we should not forget the impact on probation services which – in England and Wales – are responsible for supervising around 250,000 people in the community. Here, I want to highlight some of the ways in which probation services are being affected by the current situation.