New youth justice diversion statistics for 2025 highlight continued reduction in justice contact through diversion. Yet disparities remain in outcomes across ethnicity, age and location.
New official statistics in development on diversionary outcomes in England and Wales (year ending December 2025) shows how youth justice services (YJSs) are supporting children to prevent offending through diversionary outcomes.
Published today, the report outlines four key pathways, including community resolutions and tailored support following no further action (NFA) decisions.
It suggests that YJSs and their partners have operationalised evidence effectively, addressing the root causes of crime early to support safe communities.
Key findings
Nearly half (43%) of youth justice service outcomes were resolved without youth cautions or court involvement, reflecting a continued shift towards early, strengths-based support.
Community Resolutions are the most used diversion tool (45%), followed by NFA Outcome 22 deferred caution / prosecution (36%).
Clear ethnic disparities persist, with White children twice as likely to receive diversion with YJS involvement as Black children (53% vs 27%).
Significant geographical variation highlights geographical disparity, with 63% diversion with YJS involvement in Wales compared to 17% in London.
Different areas favour different approaches, with heavier reliance on Community Resolutions in London and NFA Outcome 22 deferred caution / prosecution in Wales.
Younger children (10-14) and girls are more likely to receive diversion, while older children (15-17) and boys are more likely to receive a formal caution or court outcome.
Violence against the person is the most common offence linked to diversion (33%), although diversions for drug offences feature significantly in London.
Diversion continues to reduce justice contact
The data shows that nearly half of YJS outcomes were resolved without a caution or formal court outcome. This may demonstrate the positive impact of services applying the evidence of what works to prevent children offending, known as the Child First decision-making framework. It advocates early intervention to address the root causes of behaviour, preventing the lasting consequences of criminalisation while maintaining public safety and reducing victims.
Disproportionality remains unacceptable
Despite progress, disparities across ethnicity, age and location present significant challenges. Diversionary outcomes vary widely across police force area, and children in Wales were far more likely to benefit from them than those in London. Ethnic disparities are also evident, with Black children significantly less likely to receive diversion than White children. Addressing these inequalities is essential to ensure fairness, reduce reoffending and improve outcomes for all children.
Phillip Bowen, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, said:
While we must always retain the right to prosecute children for their offending to protect the public, we have known for years that the best way to reduce crime and shorten children's offending is to intervene early. This means diverting children into positive, strengths-based activity rather than bringing them into the formal criminal justice system. As the Government's recent youth justice White Paper sets out, this work is central to our youth justice approach, offering children who commit lower-level offences a proportionate response that avoids unnecessary criminalisation.
For years, youth justice services (YJSs) and their partners have operationalised this evidence, delivering diversionary outcomes that do not result in a formal criminal justice outcome. However, we have not had the data to answer basic questions about this work. For the first time ever, this publication gives us that picture, showing that nearly half of all the children that YJSs work with receive a diversionary outcome. This strongly suggests that YJSs are ensuring that they have and are building a prevention-first, evidence-led youth justice system that seeks to cut crime.
However, disparities persist. As HM Inspectorate of Probation has already indicated, which children receive diversion is too often defined by the simple fact of where they live. Almost nine years on from the Lammy Review, it is sobering to read that White children are also significantly more likely to be diverted than Black children, with the data suggesting this disparity is not solely a function of where they live or what offences they are accused of. While we must further explore what underpins these differences, the Youth Justice Board (YJB) is committed to working with YJSs and their partners to ensure that neither geography nor the colour of a child's skin should determine what opportunities they are given.
Moreover, the YJB is committed to working with YJSs and others to improve the suite of evidence-based services we divert children into, to ensure victims receive reparation and to ensure the decision to divert a child is guide by what best protects the public.
Read the full report: The use of diversionary outcomes in England and Wales 2025
Ends
Notes
About Youth Justice Board
The YJB is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is responsible for oversight of the entire youth justice system in England and Wales. Its vision is for a youth justice system that sees children as children, treats them fairly and helps them to build on their strengths so they can make a constructive contribution to society.
