The number of under-18s in the secure estate has fallen significantly over the past decade, from around 3,000 in 2008 to 858 in March this year. Just over 70 per cent of under-18s in custody - 618 young people - were in young offender institutions (YOIs), 143 in secure training centres (STC) and 97 in secure children's homes.
The drop in custody numbers is a success story for the youth justice system as a whole. However, it means those who are detained tend to be repeat offenders - mostly boys and young men - whose challenging behaviour and personal problems are more entrenched.
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