
The Youth Justice Board (YJB), the government quango in charge of the youth secure estate, claimed in 2011 that planned changes contained within its secure estate strategy would result in youth custody becoming safer and more child-focused.
Five years on, in the wake of recent allegations of abuse at Medway Secure Training Centre (STC), many would argue that quite the opposite is true.
Featuring allegations of unnecessary use of force, victimisation and cover-ups among staff, the BBC Panorama investigation into the Kent STC painted a picture of a cold and brutal establishment (see box).
And it is not the only example of concern within a secure estate that currently looks after around 1,000 vulnerable young people.
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