Latest official figures show that in July this year there were 1,734 under-18s in custody, more than 300 fewer than in November last year, when the figure stood at 2,036.
As a result, the YJB has announced that it is considering decommissioning places in both male and female young offender institutions (YOIs), due to the “significant number of vacancies” now present in the system.
Lucy Dawes, YJB deputy chief executive, said: "We have now reached the point where we must take a long hard look at where to decommission next.
"This presents challenges. The reduced size of the estate means that any decommissioning of an establishment will result in those remaining covering wider geographic areas.
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