Les Lawrence, a Tory councillor and Birmingham's cabinet member for children, young people and families, told CYP Now that sending large numbers of children to custody could end up reinforcing bad behaviour.
Birmingham was one of several cities subjected to rioting last night (8 August) following similar scenes in London over the past few days. A police station in Birmingham, was set on fire while a number of shops were looted.
"I don’t think the secure estate is the place to put them," Lawrence said, referring to the rioters. "It often reinforces behaviours they exhibit. I’m very much in favour of the proposed [legislative] changes, and if we can use the right levels of restorative justice we can bring home the consequences of inappropriate behaviour."
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