Youth justice roundup

The number of taser incidents involving children is on the rise, with police tasering children as young as 11 years old nearly once a day. According to a report by the Express on Home Office data, the number of cases involving children increased from 27 in 2007 to 323 in 2011. The figures were revealed following a parliamentary question by Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert.

Childline has launched a mobile phone application to help combat the issue of “sexting". The Zipit application allows users to refuse requests for explicit images of themselves by instead choosing a response from a range of options. The charity says that sexting among teenagers, in which sexual images or videos are sent via mobile phone or the internet, has become so common that "it is considered mundane".

Female offenders in custody will be kept closer to their families as part of efforts by the Ministry of Justice to improve family links. The Ministry of Justice said it wants female inmates to maintain family relationships and improve their job prospects before leaving jail.

And finally, London youth clubs have been told they are eligible for up to £7,000 each once they have achieved a gold-level London Youth Quality Mark. Under a scheme funded by the City Bridge Trust, youth clubs in the capital will receive grants and other benefits once they have met defined standards to invest in staff training and use their resources effectively.