Searches of young people in custody are currently conducted on a “risk-based approach”, but young people are still searched on a mandatory basis when they arrive at a young offender institution (YOI).
That could be set to change after youth justice minister Jeremy Wright said a pilot project at a YOI will be run to assess whether a fully risk-based approach, based on intelligence and perceived risk, is viable.
“As part of the National Offender Management Service's ongoing review of full searching, they are considering their position and will be implementing a three-month pilot of entirely risk- and intelligence-based full searches,” Wright said in a letter to the Howard League for Penal Reform, responding to calls from the organisation for routine searches to be ended.
“This decision has primarily been taken in light of the ongoing low rate of finds and the need to ensure that any approach to managing risk of contraband entering a secure establishment is proportionate.
“The pilot will involve monitoring a number of areas which may indicate increased levels of contraband entering an establishment.
“The results of this pilot will inform any decisions on future policy relating to full searches in YOIs.”
Wright added that the National Offender Management Service is currently identifying a suitable YOI to conduct the pilot, and that it is expected to launch this month.
The Howard League had written to Wright making fresh calls for routine strip-searching to be ended after obtaining figures from the Ministry of Justice. These showed that out of 11,713 full searches carried out on young people arriving in YOIs between September 2011 and August 2012, only 77 prohibited items were found.
Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League, said: “The fight against routine abuses of children in prison is central to the work of the Howard League and we are pleased that ministers are taking a big step forward in ending routine strip-searching in children’s prisons.
“Until now, the first experience of every single child entering a young offender institution has been of removing their clothes whilst two strangers stare at their bodies. For these children, this will often be their first time away from home, many will have been a victim of physical or sexual abuse and often will have just suffered a traumatic court experience and hours in a sweatbox. To then needlessly strip them is appalling.
“That moves are finally being taken to end this could prevent thousands of children enduring such an ordeal in years to come.”
