Amidst rising concerns surrounding knife crime this paper looks to examine the role that youth service cuts, implemented as a result of austerity measures, may have had in the increased occurrence of the offence. This is done by looking at the role of youth services in the communities it seeks to serve and how the new political and economic landscape has affected their abilities to meet it’s original intentions. Furthermore, it explores the position young people currently hold in society, the moral panic surrounding them and the consequences of this. The complexity of the knife crime problem is acknowledged, with many causes and theories being put forth, with some of the dominant narratives being discussed. Alongside this there is an exploration of the current punitive response to knife crime in Britain and a comparison made to the Scottish ‘public health approach’, making note that current public and media demands for punishment for offenders may hinder attempts at its implementation within Britain. The paper finishes by examining the role youth services could play in combatting the issue of knife crime, making a case for reinvestment in the service and its implementation within a wider public health approach.
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