AYJ Monthly Newsletter: May 2023
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AYJ PODCAST LAUNCHED: Episode 1 - “Harmful Children or Social Harm?”
We’re delighted to have launched the AYJ podcast, with the first episode featuring youth worker and academic Luke Billingham and founding Young Advocate Adam Elliott! The AYJ podcast brings together guests representing our cornerstones of youth voice, research and evidence, and practice expertise, to dig into a range of subjects surrounding children's contact with the youth justice system. Underpinned by our principles of social justice and children's rights, we explore what changes could be made in criminal justice policy and in society as a whole to reimagine justice for children and young people. Listen to the first episode “Harmful Children or Social Harm?” here.
AYJ SYMPOSIUM: Rethinking Policing
To inform our Rethinking Policing policy priority, the AYJ held a symposium on the policing of children bringing together AYJ members and wider stakeholders to identify good and bad practice, discuss failures in policy, determine solutions and develop AYJ policy positions. The discussions will help us develop a reimagined model for policing children - setting out what activities police should carry out, what powers they should hold, and what needs to change - to ensure the record number of police on the streets does not lead to an increase in the criminalisation of children, racial disparities and injustices. Read more about the symposium here.
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UNCRC RESPONSE: AYJ joins coalition of children’s charities to form joint response to UNCRC recommendations
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s has published its concluding observations on the UK, setting out its concerns and recommendations regarding children’s rights, highlighting “limited progress” to bring the “draconian and punitive” youth justice system in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The AYJ has joined a coalition led by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) calling for urgent Government action to address the issues raised by the UN Committee, by appointing a senior Cabinet level minister with responsibility for children’s rights, and publishing a children’s rights action plan. AYJ Interim CEO Saqib Deshmukh has commented “While these recommendations are critical and most welcome, the fact that many are reiterations of those made in 2016 shows just how little progress has been made since the UK’s last examination.” Read more here. Recommendations on youth justice include:
Create a ministerial lead and develop comprehensive action plans on children’s rights
Raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14
Explicitly prohibit, without exception, strip searches on children, and the use of harmful devices including spit hoods, tasers, and plastic bullets. Prohibit the presence of police in schools
Ensure custody is a last resort and for the shortest possible period of time. Abolish life imprisonment and solitary confinement. Ensure any separation is for the shortest possible time, a last resort, and supervised
Address the overrepresentation of racially minoritised children in custody and develop measures to prevent racial profiling by the police
URGENT NOTIFICATION: Scandal at HMYOI Cookham Wood – HMI Prisons
On 26th April the Chief Inspector of Prisons triggered the Urgent Notification process for HMYOI Cookham Wood following an inspection in April 2023 led him to conclude: “Such treatment of children is appalling. This is a scandal and it cannot be allowed to continue. The AYJ commented, stating: “This is the fifth Urgent Notification for the children’s secure estate issued in just four years. Without a clear strategy for children in custody, it is only a matter of time before the next one. The Chief Inspector is right to call out a scandal when he sees one – but what tragedy will it take for the government to wake up and listen?" On 16th May the Justice Secretary responded in writing and published an initial response action plan. Press release available here. The Howard League for Penal Reform commented on the response.
ENGAGEMENT:
AYJ Interim CEO Saqib Deshmukh met with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to discuss the Young Women’s Justice Project, conducted in collaboration with Agenda alliance for women and girls.
Saqib Deshmukh met with Rhys ab Owen, Member of Senedd for South Wales Central, with Yasmin Begum to discuss strip searching in Wales and the Children’s Commissioner for England’s findings on the strip search of children in England and Wales, and to identify issues of accountability due to devolution.
AYJ Policy Manager Millie Harris met with MOPAC to hear about the Newham Transitions to Adulthood pilot hub and to discuss the findings of our evidence review for our project exploring the experiences of young people transitioning into adulthood in the justice system.
Saqib Deshmukh and Millie Harris met with Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), to share information about the AYJ’s work and discuss the YJB’s priorities for the coming year.
Millie Harris and AYJ Policy and Communications Officer Mia Edwards met with the Labour Party’s Home Affairs and Justice Policy Advisor to discuss shared priorities.