Baby custody: Variety of younger offenders behind bars in England and Wales greater than doubles | UK Information

The number of children incarcerated in England and Wales is expected to more than double by September 2024.

A new report has found that while the average number of children incarcerated fell by 73% in the decade between 2010 and 2020, the number is expected to increase rapidly in the coming months.

The National Audit Office (NAO), which produced the study, says this is partly related to the rise in court cases since cuts during the COVID pandemic and partly to the impact of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act and the government plans to hire additional police officers

It also notes that the opening of a new safe school has been delayed by three years.

The number of children aged 15 to 17 in juvenile offender facilities is expected to double, from 343 in July 2021 to 700 in July 2025, the report said.

This would be similar to before the pandemic (737 children were in custody in March 2019/20), but significantly fewer than a decade ago – in 2010/11 there were 2,027 children in custody in March.

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The report also finds that ethnic minorities are over-represented in prison.

More than half – 53% – of the children in care in the year to March 2021 were from ethnic minorities, up from 32% in 2011.

Black children made up 29% of children in care, compared to 18% in the year to March 2011.

The research also found that about a third of incarcerated children reported suffering from a known mental disorder, while many had other health problems and learning disabilities.

“Assembly Concerns”

In 2021, boys made up 97% of children taken into custody, but the report finds that while the percentage of girls taken into custody is small, they have some of the most complex needs and are likely to have experienced sexual and physical victimization.

The rate of self-harm incidents per 100 children increased by 90% from March 2015 to March 2021 among children in custody, the report also said.

It noted that as of February 2022, 414 children were in custody, either in secure children’s homes, young offender facilities (YOIs) or secure training centers (STCs), and there were “growing concerns” about the safety of children being held in STCs.

It said inspectors had “continued to raise concerns” about the welfare of children at the three STCs in England, rating them as either inadequate or in need of improvement every year since 2017.

The NAO said STC “mistakes” had resulted in children being moved to detention areas previously deemed unsuitable for their needs.

In 2016, a government-backed review of the juvenile justice system recommended creating safe schools that would provide children with education and rehabilitation in a “therapeutic environment”.

The Justice Department said it would create two new safe schools, but the opening of the first has been delayed by three years, from fall 2020 to November 2023.

sentences increased

According to the report, progress has been slower than expected due to timeframe assumptions made when the project began, as well as the changes HMPPS (Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service) had to make to meet Ofsted guidelines on standards for safe children’s homes and the associated costs.

The government has said it expects safe schools to provide places for all children, but the provider will have the final say on children accepted.

In July 2019, the Government commissioned the Oasis Charitable Trust to run the first safe school, which is expected to offer 49 places.

Under this agreement, managers can reject children if they feel they cannot meet their needs.

The NAO report also found that the average length of prison sentences for children increased from 11 months to 17 months between 2011 and 2021.

A Justice Department spokesman said it was committed to both ensuring public safety and achieving “the best possible outcome for each child in our care.”

“Our new safe school will put education, health care and rehabilitation at the heart of our efforts to curb crime and protect the public.”