A study by the charity found a fivefold increase in the number of younger children locked up in the past decade. The only European countries that sent more 10- to 14-year-olds to custody were the Russian Federation and the Ukraine.
The report, Locking Up or Giving Up?, concluded that children as young as 12 are being "written off" by society.
Martin Narey, Barnardo's chief executive, said: "The explosion in the use of custody when youth offending has not been growing is inexplicable, unjustifiable and unnecessary."
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