Despite a reduction in the rate of youth offending and widespread calls to develop alternatives to custody for juvenile offenders, there has continued to be a rise in the number of young people sent to prison. The ten-year upward trend in juvenile custody that stalled in 2002, now seems to be rising again.
The reason is simple. The criminal justice system is still heavily dominated by a belief that custody works best, in spite of clear evidence to the contrary. More than 80 per cent of prisoners have been found to go on to reoffend; conclusive proof that prisons are failing to turn criminals into law-abiding citizens.
But prison isn't only ineffective. The welfare of children and young people held in custody is at stake. Some of the evidence is shocking.
There were 117 incidents of attempted suicide or self-injury involving juveniles in segregation recorded in prisons last year, for example.
And on almost every measure of wellbeing, children and young people held in custody fare badly. A report published earlier this month by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation considered the welfare of children in all settings where they may be living away from home. It concluded that prisons gave the greatest cause for concern.
Part of the answer is to improve the treatment of young offenders in prison establishments. But ultimately there needs to be recognition that prison is no place for children. Despite the efforts of the Youth Justice Board, which has developed and promoted new non-custodial sentences for young offenders, under-investment in alternatives to prison has meant that children and young people are often kept in prison when they could be placed in local authority secure accommodation or be supervised under community schemes.
The Government has announced that it intends to publish a draft Youth Justice Bill next year that would set out alternatives to jail: tougher community punishments for young offenders, including more tagging, surveillance and supervision. Hopefully, this Bill will provide the impetus needed to bring about a shift away from incarceration towards safer and more effective forms of punishment.
