The government figures show youth prisons have suffered from more unfilled vacancies than adult prisons for the past three years.
In 2005, three per cent of YOI posts were unfilled compared with 1.9 in adult prisons. During 2007, YOIs have had a shortfall of 2.8 per cent, compared with 2.2 per cent in adult prisons.
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "It is difficult to be confident that young people with such high levels of unmet mental health needs and past experience of the care system can be safely cared for in institutions with exceptionally low staffing levels."
Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the staff shortages in youth prisons had to be tackled urgently.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
