Tom recalls older gang members who "showed me a lot of love," and that simple phrase captures something that years of tough-on-crime policies have often missed: young people join gangs not only because they are desperate, but because gangs offer belonging, identity and protection—things they cannot find elsewhere.
England and Wales are now moving toward that recognition. The government has published plans for what it calls a "once-in-a-generation" reform of youth justice, pivoting toward early intervention and addressing the root causes of youth crime rather than punishment alone. The shift matters enormously, because it maps onto what researchers have long understood: gang involvement is rarely about a single cause, but rather a complex push-and-pull—young people pushed by poverty, exclusion and trauma, but also pulled by the promise of relationships, status and belonging.
Recent research conducted in London by two colleagues who interviewed five young men with current or previous gang involvement reveals the depth of this dynamic. One participant, Paul, grew up in poverty so severe that sometimes "there wasn't no food" and "there was no electric." He described his peers as "literally like the same person [as me] but just put in different houses." John spoke of gang members as "brothers." For these young men, the gang was not primarily about crime or violence—it was about finding connection in a world that had shown them none.
That recognition underpins the government's new proposals, which emphasize earlier intervention, more targeted support and the critical importance of trusted relationships with professionals. The white paper stresses that support for children at risk should be "timely, proportionate and holistic," and crucially, it should be joined up across schools, social care, health, youth justice teams and voluntary organizations. The proposals highlight the role of stable relationships with mentors, youth workers, teachers and social workers—adults who can help young people feel safe, regulate their emotions and begin to imagine a future outside crime.
Tom's story illustrates how this works in practice. He described contact with professionals through a support service as "like two different worlds," saying that it changed his "mind state." Others spoke about mentoring, meaningful work, family relationships and new peer groups as pathways to purpose and belonging outside the gang.
The reforms include expansion of programs like Turnaround, a voluntary support scheme for children on the cusp of entering the youth justice system, and plans to open more Young Futures Hubs—spaces intended to bring local services together so young people can access opportunities, mental health support and genuine ways to move away from crime. Early support hubs will also offer mental health support to vulnerable young people.
What makes this approach distinctive is that it does not deny the dangers of gang involvement. Violence, trauma and harm are real. But it recognizes that the young men themselves are also real—shaped by instability, loss and the entirely human need to belong. When institutions and families fail them, gangs step in. The government's focus on early intervention, trusted adults and holistic support suggests a recognition that the path away from gang involvement must offer something equally compelling: real belonging, real protection, real futures.