11 MAY 2025

Transdisciplinary discussions on knife crime at Vinney Green Secure Children’s Home

On May 9th, 2025, the TryJustice network convened a powerful and thought-provoking session at Vinney Green Secure Children’s Home. This gathering brought together professionals from across disciplines to explore youth justice through a transdisciplinary lens, with a particular focus on the issue of knife crime. The setting itself - within a secure children’s home - served as a poignant reminder that these discussions are not abstract. They are grounded in the lived realities of young people and have direct effects on individuals, their families and their communities.

The central topic of the day was the government’s Crime and Policing Bill: Knife Crime Factsheet. This discussion looked to test a new method, loosely based on the UN negotiation approach, to gain transdisciplinary insights on a given topic - particularly those that are policy-relevant. Participants critically examined the document, raising concerns about its lack of nuance and the way in which it potentially reinforced moral panic, and negative narratives. Key reflections included the absence of developmental considerations - such as age, cognitive capacity, and the need to acknowledge the lived experience of the child e.g., how Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma can impact their developmental vulnerability. Participants also raised the additional questions of - Is knife crime truly on the rise? What other contextual information is required to fully understand the data?

A recurring theme was the importance of context. Some attendees suggested that knife possession might be a response to fear, trauma, or a perceived need for protection. Others questioned whether young people fully understand the consequences of their actions, especially when their decisions are shaped by adverse childhood experiences, neuro-developmental delay, and traumatic brain injuries.

The group also explored how societal narratives can shape behaviour. For instance, the visibility of knife amnesty bins or sensationalist headlines might unintentionally reinforce the idea that carrying a knife is normal or necessary. A striking comparison was made between young people in gangs and those in the military - both groups may carry dangerous weapons, but the surrounding context, structure, and social norms drastically alter outcomes. Moreover, participants questioned the downstream nature of the document and what was being done to address the online sales of dangerous knives.

The strength of the TryJustice session lay in its transdisciplinary approach, which allowed for a rich convergence of perspectives. Through this lens, participants reached a strong consensus on the importance of ‘maturation’ and ‘context’ as essential factors in understanding and addressing knife crime. These shared insights underscored the need to move beyond simplistic, age-based policies towards more nuanced, developmentally informed responses. However, this very complexity also revealed a key point of divergence: the question of whether to raise the age of criminal responsibility. While some saw this as a necessary evolution in youth justice, others expressed concern about the implications for accountability and public trust. This tension highlighted the value of inclusive, cross-sector dialogue—not to erase disagreement, but to deepen our collective understanding with a shared goal of transdisciplinary engagement with complex problems.

Emerging ideas from the session include:

• Promoting peace education in schools
• Integrating developmental and special educational needs into justice responses
• Encouraging interagency collaboration informed by neuroscience
• Shifting from a criminal justice to a social care perspective
• Understanding the function of knife possession in young people’s lives
• Investing in upstream, preventative interventions
   

The TryJustice network intends to publish a response to the policy paper in due course, drawing on the discussions at Vinney Green and emphasising the convergence of transdisciplinary perspectives.

Written by Thomas Procter-Legg
Doctoral Teaching Fellow, Educational Consultant and DPhil Candidate at the University of Oxford