Statistics released in Parliament show that across England and Wales 11,490 under-18s were placed in a young offender institution, secure children's home or secure training centre in 2008. This is the lowest combined number of custodial sentences and remands since records began in 2001 when YOTs provided such data and the figure was 11,762.
Despite the overall fall, the figures show a large variation in different parts of the country with some youth offending team (YOT) areas showing big declines while others recorded rises.
Four of the five YOTs showing the largest increase over the seven-year period were in London with rates in Ealing, Hackney, Lewisham and Southwark all more than doubling. Overall, Wessex reported the highest increase in actual numbers.
The largest overall decline came in the Birmingham YOT area where 407 children and young people were placed in custody last year compared with 547 in 2001.
Lorna Hadley, YOT manager for Newham and vice chair of the Association of YOT Managers, said remand rates are a particular issue in London. "A lot of children are remanded and later receive a community sentence," she said.
Hadley said a major factor is that YOTs in the capital often share courts. "On a Saturday my YOT shares a court with three other YOT areas," she said. "You have got a prosecutor under pressure and magistrates you have not met before. There is little training for YOT staff and they have to be brave enough to stand up and advocate the case and talk through the report to get success."
Penelope Gibbs, director of the Prison Reform Trust's campaign to reduce the number of children in custody, said a lack of resources can lead to the wrong action. "I have heard of boys being remanded because they have an accommodation issue," she said. "Those issues are particularly acute in London."
