One in three young people in custody are in care system

Statistics released by the Department for Education (DfE) show that as of 31 March 2015 there were 260 looked-after children in England's YOIs out of a custodial population of 706 – a proportion of 36.8 per cent.

The proportion represents the highest level in the past five years. In 2011 it stood at 8.7 per cent (140 children in care out of a total number of 1,601).

Since then the number of children in custody who are in care has risen, despite the overall number of under-18s in custody in YOIs dropping markedly in recent years.

The jump in numbers of looked-after children in YOIs coincides with legislation coming into effect on 1 April 2013 giving young people looked-after status upon being remanded in custody, although it is unclear what impact this has had on the overall numbers.

The statistics do not cover secure children’s homes or secure training centres, which currently hold around 300 additional young people.

Penelope Gibbs, chair of the Standing Committee for Youth Justice, described the figures as “alarming”.

“This illustrates just how important it is for government to work together across departments to understand why children in care are being criminalised,” she said.

“What is significant here is that not only are children in care more likely to be criminalised for quite minor offences, it now looks like they are more entrenched in serious offending as well.”

They are children who are looked-after by the state so we have to understand why they are so prevalent in the offending population, and equally, we need to look at how to prevent it.”

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “While the number of children in custody has halved in four years, the number of looked-after children detained has almost doubled, which is obviously cause for concern.

“Through our legal work, we know there are other children in custody who perhaps should have been looked after in their earlier childhood. This emphasises the fact that welfare problems are at the heart of much child offending.

“We expect this issue to be taken seriously by the government, given that the Secretary of State for Justice is on the record as saying he is concerned about links between care histories and the youth justice system.”

The Youth Justice Board has been contacted for comment.