The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), which visited Huntercombe YOI at the end of last year, said it considered "the routine practice of strip-searching of juveniles is a disproportionate measure which could be considered as degrading."
But the UK government said it did not consider strip-searching to be a disproportionate measure, and did not plan to revise regulations on strip-searching in the under-18 secure estate. In its response to the CPT report, it said: "It is used to safeguard individuals, other young people and staff in these establishments."
The CPT also expressed concerns about staffing shortages, insufficient exercise and food, violence between young people, and "very high numbers of juveniles in custody in England and Wales.".
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