In the year ending March 2022, the average time from offence to completion of a case was 217 days, compared with 221 days in the previous year and 98 days in the year ending March 2012, according to latest figures from the Youth Justice Board (YJB).
Keith Fraser, YJB chair, puts the increase down to delays to court proceedings caused by the pandemic, but said: “Although it’s important that court proceedings only go ahead with the full preparation, assessments and expertise required, we know from victims and children with experience of the system that this wait can be incredibly stressful and can reduce opportunities for them to positively move on.”
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The figures also show that children who are held on remand make up 45 per cent of all children in the youth custody estate, an increase of five per cent on the previous year.
Some 58 per cent of children on remand in custody are from an ethnic minority group, figures show.
They add that 73 per cent of all children held on remand never receive a custodial sentence, figures show.
Fraser, who shared concerns over the numbers of children remanded in custody last year, said: “Hundreds of children are still needlessly experiencing the trauma and stigma that comes with custody, being held often more than 100 miles away from their families and support networks.”
However, he highlighted the planned opening of the first YJB-funded London Accommodation Pathfinder this year which will provide supported accommodation for children facing remand or custodial sentence.
According to the YJB report, in the year to March 2022, 13,800 children were cautioned or sentenced, marking a 13 per cent fall in the last year with a 79 per cent fall over the last ten years.
There were 8,000 first time entrants to the youth justice system in the same time period, 10 per cent lower than the previous year, and 78 per cent less than figures seen in the year ending March 2012.
Despite a 77 per cent drop in numbers of children in custody over the last decade, the average custodial sentence length increased by six months compared with the previous year to 22.8 months.
However, the report adds that “this increase may have been due to a small number of cases which impacted on the overall average”.
Meanwhile, behaviour management in the youth custody estate has returned to pre-pandemic levels, Fraser said, noting that compared with the previous year, rates of separation increased by 56 per cent, assaults by 25 per cent, self harm by 29 per cent and restraint by 17 per cent.
He added: “This increase must be seen in the context of greater activity as regimes are reinstated. This does, however, highlight the underlying challenges of safety in child custody and the need for systemic reform.”
The YJB chair described a “glimmer of hope” around a slight decrease in numbers of black children entering the youth justice system.
The proportion of children entering the justice system from a black background has decreased from 18 per cent to 16 per over the last year, according to the figures, while the proportion of children in youth custody who are black reduced from 29 per cent to 28 per cent.
“Although clearly there is still a long way to go, I would like to use this as a rallying call to everyone to ‘do their bit’ and with the urgency and pace it still requires. We can, and must, ensure that all children, regardless of background or characteristics, have an equal chance to thrive,” Fraser said.
The figures come following the resignation of YJB chief executive Claudia Sturt.
