The number of children and young people being held in custody in young offender institutions (YOIs) continued to fall during 2010-11 from 1,977 to 1,822. This has led to 710 places being decommissioned and five YOIs closing, including a unit for young women.
However, a thematic report, Children and Young People in Custody 2010-11: An Analysis of the Experiences of 15- to 18-year-olds in Prison, found that while conditions for some had improved, for the majority the experience had deteriorated.
Compared with 2009/10, young men were less positive about their treatment in reception and the facilities offered on arrival, and fewer said that they felt safe on their first night.
Although the proportion of young men who said they had ever felt unsafe had fallen, fewer felt that they could tell someone if they were being victimised or believed a member of staff would take it seriously.
The report also found that although getting a job was cited by young men (and by 52 per cent of young women) as most likely to stop them offending, fewer than half of young people said they knew who to contact to get help with finding employment.
Demographic information also indicated a changing profile of the children and young people in custody, reflecting the vulnerability of the population.
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