CYP Now - Parliamentary committee criticises government inaction on tackling disproportionality in youth custody

There is a “lack of curiosity” across government departments about what is driving the increase in the proportion of children from ethnic minority backgrounds entering youth custody, an influential group of MPs has warned.

PAC chair Meg Hillier: 'Vulnerable young people are being treated as an afterthought'. Picture: Parliament TV

The public accounts committee (PAC) highlighted evidence from an HMI Probation report that found black children, aged 10–17, are 2.8 times more likely come to the attention of the youth justice system as would be expected given their representation in the general population, while the numbers of mixed heritage children in the youth justice population has doubled since 2010.

While the number of children in youth custody across all ethnicities fell by 73 per cent from 2010-11 to 2020-21, the proportion from ethnic minority backgrounds increased from 32 to 53 per cent.

In its Support for vulnerable adolescents report, the PAC said these disproportionate outcomes have been highlighted in previous reviews dating back many years, “but the Ministry of Justice and Home Office still cannot fully explain the disparity”.

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