Amid moves by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) to close establishments due to falling custody levels, it has emerged that "significant incidents" in YOIs, including a riot, have been attributed to the decommissioning process.
A YJB document dating back to last September, released to CYP Now under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that "recent decommissioning of estate appears to have been a relevant factor in two recent significant incidents".
But YJB director of secure accommodation Ray Hill said the YJB works closely with the National Offender Management Service and other secure estate providers to assess all aspects of its decommissioning decisions.
"The potential impact of these decisions is always reviewed prior to any final decisions being made," he said. "While reductions in the size of the estate provide increasing challenges in managing the secure population, there is no direct evidence linking this to either of these incidents."
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