Policy & Practice: Children in trouble are also children in need

The most vulnerable and at risk children make up the majority of young offenders with 80 per cent of children in custody suffering from at least two mental disorders, nearly three quarters having faced exclusion from school at some point and 30 per cent having spent time in local authority care. The majority of these children and young people are imprisoned for non-violent offences such as burglary and theft and while in prison their mental health needs and more importantly their special needs as children are dealt with by an adult penal system.

The Youth Justice Board, set up in 1998 to monitor the operation of the youth justice system and deliver preventative crime initiatives, aims to reduce the number of imprisoned children by 280 over two years. Yet still the number of children under 15 sent to custody is rising alongside the anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos). This summer 195 children were jailed in Asbo hearings, often with no charge made against them for breaking the law.