I research the dehumanising treatment of young offenders – Netflix’s Adolescence gets it spot on

Warning: this article contains minor spoilers for Adolescence.

Adolescence, a new Netflix crime drama, is powerful and thought-provoking. It explores a range of issues affecting young people today, including the rise of toxic masculinity, “incel” culture, social media bullying and the struggle for identity in school. But it also raises critical questions about how the UK treats young offenders.

The series follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is arrested on suspicion of murder after a girl from his history class, is stabbed to death.

Jamie, an outwardly “normal” teenager from an “ordinary” family, challenges common beliefs about child offenders. It’s often assumed that such children come from dysfunctional backgrounds and are inevitably headed down a path of criminality.

Detectives interviewing Jamie repeatedly refer to him as “bright” and “smart”. These qualities aren’t usually associated with children who commit heinous crimes. But in the show, detectives find other ways of aligning him with the child offender stereotype.

In an attempt to rationalise Jamie’s actions, the series initially hints that his father, Eddie, portrayed by the phenomenal Stephen Graham, may have been abusing him. However, this turns out to be unfounded.

The Netflix show therefore complicates the typical child offender narrative, urging viewers to reconsider the assumptions we make about young people. Instead, it asks us to focus on the kind of society we are creating for children in the age of the internet and social media.

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The first episode casts an unflattering light on the UK’s youth justice system through its harrowing depiction of Jamie’s arrest – a deeply humiliating and terrifying experience that sets the tone for the series.

In the space of minutes, heavily armed officers smash through the doors of the Miller family home. They shout expletives and sweep from room to room, weapons drawn.

The brutality of the scene is reinforced by Jamie’s visceral response. He wets himself, aptly demonstrating not only his fear, but also the way the justice system treats young people as offenders first and children second.

Moreover, Jamie’s ability to fully comprehend his rights remains uncertain to the viewer. As he’s read the police caution, a formal statement informing suspects of their right to remain silent, his father pressures him to simply confirm that he understands his rights.

This fast-paced questioning continues at the police station. There, Jamie is bombarded with several adult-centric questions before he has even had breakfast. These include: “Do you have a solicitor, or do you need one?” and “Have you had your rights explained to you?” He is given little to no explanation of what these questions mean.

At this point, Jamie is clearly too distracted and in shock to respond meaningfully and honestly. This scene powerfully illustrates well-established research findings that have shown that children and young people often lack sufficient knowledge of the criminal justice process, and more profoundly, their rights within it.

I find it incredibly concerning that the UK government continues to allow young offenders to be processed in police custody facilities – sometimes spending the night in a cell. This environment is intimidating and frightening for children.
These facilities are designed for detaining adults suspected of crimes. In the show, this is shown through the violence and foul language audible throughout Jamie’s time at the station. The officers offer him little in the way of comfort, support or emotional reassurance. This raises questions about whether such settings are appropriate for vulnerable young people.

A call to action

By far the most horrific ordeal that Jamie is subjected to is an intrusive strip-search. It’s conducted by two male officers, despite his father’s protests.

Disturbingly, strip-searching remains standard practice when children enter prison. They may also be subjected to it again when they are discharged, after a room search, or following a visit.

A recent report by the children’s commissioner revealed that between January 2018 and June 2023, a child was strip-searched more than once a day in England and Wales. The youngest was just eight years old – below the age of criminal responsibility.

Even more concerning is that in almost half (45%) of cases, the presence of an “appropriate adult” could not be confirmed, despite this being a statutory safeguard. Additionally, 47% of all strip-searches resulted in “no further action”, thereby calling into question their broader necessity and justification.

Degrading searches of this kind violate not just one but several articles contained in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the UK is a signatory. These include Article 37 (the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment), Article 19 (protection from violence, abuse and neglect) and Article 16 (the right to privacy).

Given the profound psychological and emotional impact such practices can have on children long into adulthood, I believe there is even a compelling argument that they breach Article 6, the right to life, survival and development.

Through Jamie’s traumatic journey, Adolescence exposes not only the dehumanising treatment of young offenders but also wider misconceptions about childhood and criminality that continue to dominate public policy and discourse. By urging viewers to rethink how society treats its most vulnerable, the series is not just a crime drama but a call to action.