Tag: featured

In July 2024, Professor Susan McVie and Professor Lesley McAra published a briefing document titled ‘Scottish Prison Service policy briefing: Understanding pathways into and out of prison’. This document highlights key findings from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime (ESYTC) as they relate to pathways into and out of imprisonment while setting out the main policy implications that flow from them.

This document draws heavily on findings from the ESTYC, which is a programme of research that has been running for over 25 years to examine the causes and consequences of young people’s involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour. The ESTYC is the only study of its kind in Scotland and of the most influential longitudinal studies internationally.

The briefing report includes data and descriptions from the lived experiences of prisoners along with relevant background context that helps situate the policy implications presented in the document. About this publication, Professor McVie said:  “Understanding the views and experiences of people who have served one or more prison sentences is essential to improving service delivery and ensuring that people receive appropriate help and support from prison staff.  Being able to provide a longitudinal perspective, which highlights how events in childhood and adolescence may have influenced people’s behaviour and life chances, is a key strength of the Edinburgh Study”.

Read and download the briefing report [PDF]

Professor Lesley McAra – Profile

Professor Susan McVie – Profile

Findings from the Edinburgh Study have been featured in a new Data Comic called ‘How Crime has Changed in Scotland’, produced by Professor Susan McVie, Co-Director of the Study.

The findings show how the levels of offending amongst young people have changed over time, how policing impacts on young people and the role of poverty in determining who gets caught up in the criminal justice system.  To see the Data Comic, visit the link.

A new report has been produced for the Nuffield Foundation. The report is based on the latest phase of fieldwork, which involved interviews with cohort members, an online survey, and analysis of criminal records data.

Amongst the findings are that experiences of poverty and trauma in childhood were strongly associated with offending behaviour in adolescence and also going on to offend into early adulthood.  Nevertheless, many of those who were involved in serious offending were not known to the children’s hearings system or the adult criminal justice system. While trauma in childhood was damaging, many of those who continued offending beyond age 25 had also experienced significant trauma in adulthood.

We recommend that policies need to be focused on prevention and early intervention, with specific strategies to tackle poverty and adversity.

Read the full report

We have sent out information packs to all of our study members to let them know about the latest round of research. » Read more