Commons Sense 09 – Double Punishment
Young people seeking asylum in the UK face a double punishment if they commit a crime—first through the criminal justice system, then by the immigration system. A single conviction - even for a minor crime - can delay or destroy their asylum claims, a compounding injustice given their background experience.
In November 2025, Commons released our second report, in conjunction with the Migrants Law Project, investigating the unnecessary criminalisation of Young Asylum Seekers. Benny Hunter, the report author, exposes the systematic failures that trap these vulnerable people:
Stop and search practices that deepen mistrust of police
Controversial age assessments for unaccompanied child migrants based on appearance alone
Absent interpreters or poor understanding of a defendant's native language leading to miscarriages of justice
Clients not being advised of a potential defence under the Modern Slavery Act by lawyers
Despite these challenges, we outline what needs to change to protect young people who've already survived trauma - to ensure all get equal access to justice.
