LATEST NEWS

In this blog, Laura Janes, from AYJ member the Youth Practitioners’ Association, asks what it will take to create a well-resourced secure estate that caters to the distinct needs of children and young adults.

The AYJ shares our position after the government recently stated vulnerable girls sentenced to youth custody will no longer be placed in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs).

In this analysis piece, John Drew CBE, AYJ board member and former CEO of the YJB, reflects on the decision to change the age young people transition to the adult estate from 18 to 19.

Our submission to the Justice Select Committee highlights the urgent need to improve conditions in the children’s secure estate, ensure custody is only ever a last resort, and address racial disparities in reoffending rates.

Our latest policy briefing, Adultifying Youth Custody, calls on the government to protect and promote a child centred children’s secure estate, and develop a distinct approach to custody for young adults. It also calls for custody to only ever be a last resort.

The AYJ shares our positions on the essential elements of a strategic approach to the children’s secure estate, gathered with members and fed into the development of the YCS Youth Custody Strategy.

AYJ comment on HMI Prisons’ reports Children in Custody 2023-24 and Feltham A YOI Independent Review of Progress

AYJ CEO Jess Mullen reflects on the importance of this year’s Black History Month theme ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ for Black and racially minoritised children in, or at risk of involvement in, the youth justice system

AYJ comment on HMI Prisons’ progress review on the separation of children in Young Offender Institutions

Our new briefing, Setting the youth justice agenda, urges the government to take bold action to reform the youth justice system. We set out changes new Ministers must prioritise to ensure a safeguarding response to vulnerable children, end racial injustice, and ensure that custody is a last resort.

Our statement following racist riots across the UK and subsequent arrests, including of a significant number of children

A deeply concerning inspection report on conditions in Feltham YOI demonstrates the urgent need for youth custody reform. The newly announced Crime and Policing Bill is a crucial opportunity to keep children out of the failing secure estate