In Search of Trust is a research project funded by the Dutch Science Agenda. It starts from the idea that a lack of trust between young people and people working in the criminal justice system both causes and results from unequal treatment, and higher crime rates and repeat offenses among some groups. The goal of the project is to build more trust between actors in the criminal justice system workers and young people with a migration background or lower socio-economic status.

The project team will also look for ways to reduce inequality in how crimes are punished and help create a fairer justice system.

To study this, we use different methods:

• We analyse large sets of data from Statistics Netherlands to better understand inequality in criminal justice outcomes. 
• We carry out a systematic review of existing studies to see what interventions are already in place and if they work. 
• We look at personal stories and carry out interviews with young people and people working in the criminal justice system to find new ideas for reducing inequality.
  

In Search of Trust has a clear goal:

We want to reduce inequalities in sentencing, create a fairer and safer environment for young people, improve trust between youth and police/justice system, and lower repeat offenses,  especially among groups with low trust in the system.

To reach this goal, we work together with project partners and other stakeholders. They help us shape our approach and play an active role in developing and carrying out the improved methods.