A report on child custody by the charity showed a fivefold increase in the number of children and young people given custody sentences in the last decade. It said 572 children aged 14 or under imprisoned last year had not committed a serious crime.
More children and young people are now imprisoned in England and Wales than in any Western European country, with only the Russian Federation and Ukraine locking up more, according to the briefing, "Locking Up or Giving Up?"
It costs £185,780 a year to keep a young person in custody. Barnados said the same amount could educate a child at Eton College for six years. The charity estimated that £27.5 million could be saved each year if custodial sentences were reserved for 10 to 14 year old children convicted of “grave crimes” or violent offences.
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