YES - Fran Russell, head of youth justice law department, the Howard League for Penal Reform
The Howard League believes that no person under the age of 18 should be sent to prison. With a reconviction rate of around 80 per cent within two years of release, it fails to turn young people away from crime. Other forms of custody are not necessarily much better because of the huge risk that children will reoffend on release. Even the best kind of custody is unreal.
That's why community sanctions can have a better success rate where children are supported. Community sanctions address the underlying reasons for offending, but you can't do that in prison. Some children need to be locked up because they are a danger to society, but this should be done as a last resort.
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