AYJ Comment: New publications underline critical challenges for youth justice

Important publications released this week shine further light on the issues faced by children in the youth justice system.

The Youth Justice Board’s annual Youth Justice Statistics 2019-20, this year accompanied by experimental statistics on the needs of children; and HMI Prisons’ Children in Custody 2019–2020 report on children’s perceptions of their experiences in custody were released this week.

These statistics came the same week as we relaunched as the Alliance for Youth Justice and articulated our objectives for youth justice responses that treat children as children first and foremost - underpinned by social justice, children’s rights and a focus on positive long-term outcomes. These publications underline the scale of the challenges ahead in realising these aims, and the harms that vulnerable children are experiencing as a result.

Trends in the annual statistics demonstrate that welcome progress continues to be made for children in the community. The number of First Time Entrants into the youth justice system continues to fall and levels of sentences being given to children saw a decrease of 13%. The number of children deprived of their liberty also fell by 9%, but further progress is needed to stem the flow of children into custody and in ensuring custody is the last resort for children in England and Wales.

Concerns about sentenced children’s needs are acute and become more concentrated with the severity of the sanction that is received. Three quarters of these children are assessed as having concerns around speech, language and communication, mental health and substance misuse. The vast majority have assessed concerns around safety and wellbeing and 45% have experience of the care system.

In the secure estate, levels of self-harm and restraint are at five-year highs and two-thirds of children report they have been restrained and separated. Over half of children in secure training centres and young offender institutions are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, and almost one in ten were from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds. Children described the ‘grim reality’ of life in custody and concerningly the experiences of children from ethnic minority backgrounds were far worse than those reported by their white peers.

Most children in custody do not feel cared for or treated fairly by staff. Children are also leaving custody woefully unprepared: Just 18% are accessing offending behaviour interventions, the majority say they have learnt nothing that will help when they leave, feel that they don’t have a say in what will happen to them, or have anybody helping them to prepare for their life upon release.

Commenting on the publications, Pippa Goodfellow, Director of the Alliance for Youth Justice, said:

“Steps to reduce the number of children in the youth justice system should be applauded, but the YJB statistics highlight that the needs of those remaining in the system are vast. This comes at a time when public services and local partnerships are working to meet these needs in the context of significant and increasing pressures on resources.

The conditions reported in penal establishments are alarming - vulnerable children are being held in a system that cannot meet their needs and is causing significant harm. Critical concerns are cast over the treatment and experiences of children in the secure estate, where racial inequalities are seen most acutely and continue to worsen.

These reports serve as a stark warning and urgent call to action to address the problems that persist.”