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Hundreds of children allege abuse by prison staff over last three years, charity finds

2 mins read Youth Justice Social Care
Children’s rights charity Article 39 has uncovered 1,305 allegations of abuse by staff against children in the youth secure estate over the last three years.
Concerns were raised over allegations made about staff at Oakhill STC. Picture: G4S
Concerns were raised over allegations made about staff at Oakhill STC. Picture: G4S

The findings have emerged in a Freedom of Information Act request, around abuse in institutional settings, sent to councils with a secure training centre (STC) or young offender institution (YOI) in their area.

During 2020/21 there were 355 allegations, including one council that said it had received 184 allegations against youth custody staff.

Article 39 said that one council with a YOI did not provide any data for the last year, which indicates its figures could underestimate the scale of abuse in youth prisons.

Among settings to concern Article 39 is the GS4 run Oakhill secure training centre (STC), in Milton Keynes.

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