Editorial: Children in custody still need to be cared for

This independent inquiry, which was commissioned by the Howard Leaguefor Penal Reform, was set up following the 2004 death of 15-year-oldGareth Myatt while being restrained at Rainsbrook secure trainingcentre. However, it didn't just concentrate on the use of physicalrestraint in prisons, secure training centres and local authority securechildren's homes, but also examined the prevalence of solitaryconfinement and forcible strip searching in such establishments (seeInterview, p13).

The resulting report contains a depressing litany of evidence fromimprisoned children about what their lives are like, from the regularuse of handcuffs to the possibility of sustaining injuries such ascarpet burns and broken bones as they are restrained. And it revealsthat a number of referrals made to one particular local child protectioncommittee concerning injuries inflicted on children during restraintresulted in no action being taken whatsoever.