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Will the police follow the justice system and stop treating child suspects as adults? Will the police follow the justice system and stop treating child suspects as adults?
(5 months later)
It was a warm summer's afternoon when six police officers, some plainclothed, some uniformed, dived out of an unmarked car and placed me under arrest. They forced me to the ground, handcuffed me behind my back and surrounded me. My first thought was that I was getting attacked by strangers. I was then piled into the back of the vehicle and driven to the police station.It was a warm summer's afternoon when six police officers, some plainclothed, some uniformed, dived out of an unmarked car and placed me under arrest. They forced me to the ground, handcuffed me behind my back and surrounded me. My first thought was that I was getting attacked by strangers. I was then piled into the back of the vehicle and driven to the police station.
Did they know I was only 17? It didn't matter, as until Thursday, 17-year-olds who were taken into custody by police for questioning have been treated like adults, even though elsewhere in the criminal justice system, they would be seen as juveniles. A high court judge has now ruled the practice unlawful and parents will have to be informed if they are arrested.Did they know I was only 17? It didn't matter, as until Thursday, 17-year-olds who were taken into custody by police for questioning have been treated like adults, even though elsewhere in the criminal justice system, they would be seen as juveniles. A high court judge has now ruled the practice unlawful and parents will have to be informed if they are arrested.
I'm 31 now and still vividly remember the experience. The police didn't ask me how old I was, they just kept repeating: "You're going to go to prison for a long time." I kept thinking about my mum. I needed her. I closed my eyes and didn't open them until the van pulled up at the station. I was taken to a cell. The officers closed the door and one of them looked at me through the flap and then shut it.I'm 31 now and still vividly remember the experience. The police didn't ask me how old I was, they just kept repeating: "You're going to go to prison for a long time." I kept thinking about my mum. I needed her. I closed my eyes and didn't open them until the van pulled up at the station. I was taken to a cell. The officers closed the door and one of them looked at me through the flap and then shut it.
I sat on the bed with my hands between my legs, unable to answer the questions from the other guys in the cell, who looked to be in their 40s. All I could think about was my mum and that she need to know what had happened to me. My cellmate told me to "stop crying and man-up" as I was going to be there a while. Another guy in the cell had been there for two days waiting for an interview.I sat on the bed with my hands between my legs, unable to answer the questions from the other guys in the cell, who looked to be in their 40s. All I could think about was my mum and that she need to know what had happened to me. My cellmate told me to "stop crying and man-up" as I was going to be there a while. Another guy in the cell had been there for two days waiting for an interview.
After four hours I asked for a phone call, only to be told that the officer dealing with me had gone off-site and I'd be dealt with when he got back. Ten hours later, I was told I'd be staying the night and would be interviewed in the morning. I asked if my mum had been told about me being here. He looked at me, said that I was a big boy, to deal with it and he then shut the cell door.After four hours I asked for a phone call, only to be told that the officer dealing with me had gone off-site and I'd be dealt with when he got back. Ten hours later, I was told I'd be staying the night and would be interviewed in the morning. I asked if my mum had been told about me being here. He looked at me, said that I was a big boy, to deal with it and he then shut the cell door.
Following Thursday's judgment, 17-year-olds will be treated like the children that they are, resolving the anomaly in the law that meant there was no requirement that a parent or appropriate adult be informed. The test case was brought by the parents of two 17-year-olds who killed themselves after being arrested. It shouldn't have got to that point before the law was challenged. In my work as a gang mediator, I work with individual young people to tackle youth violence. Every day, I see the same attitude towards young people I experienced when I was arrested.Following Thursday's judgment, 17-year-olds will be treated like the children that they are, resolving the anomaly in the law that meant there was no requirement that a parent or appropriate adult be informed. The test case was brought by the parents of two 17-year-olds who killed themselves after being arrested. It shouldn't have got to that point before the law was challenged. In my work as a gang mediator, I work with individual young people to tackle youth violence. Every day, I see the same attitude towards young people I experienced when I was arrested.
Yes, violent crime among teens is a major issue in the UK. But it's a teenage issue – not an adult one – born out of chaotic situations between young people who haven't learned how to communicate in any other way. "Man up," they're told, but understanding adult behaviour comes only with experience.Yes, violent crime among teens is a major issue in the UK. But it's a teenage issue – not an adult one – born out of chaotic situations between young people who haven't learned how to communicate in any other way. "Man up," they're told, but understanding adult behaviour comes only with experience.
Like any relationship, boundaries need to be established and maintained. The criminal justice system has now learned this, and it's for the police to maintain those boundaries which have been set in place. If the officers of the law continue to treat young people as something they're not, then inevitably that relationship will continue to break down. This judgment goes one step of the way towards improving that.Like any relationship, boundaries need to be established and maintained. The criminal justice system has now learned this, and it's for the police to maintain those boundaries which have been set in place. If the officers of the law continue to treat young people as something they're not, then inevitably that relationship will continue to break down. This judgment goes one step of the way towards improving that.
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