In a parliamentary debate on youth offending, Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Paul Maynard criticised the Asset form, which is used to determine sentencing plans.
He said these forms are "structurally flawed" as they have no space to identify speech, language and communication difficulties.
This leaves many young offenders, including those with mental health problems and learning difficulties, without the specialist support they need while in custody.
He said: "They impair identification of individual problems and make it harder to address those difficulties during the time in custody. The consequences of that failure in screening and appropriate identification are severe. We are setting young offenders up to fail."
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