Barnado's brands child custody "expensive and ineffective"
Simon Vevers
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The strategy of locking up increasing numbers of 10 to 14 year old children - often for more minor offences - has been branded "expensive and ineffective" by children's charity Barnados.
A report on child custody by the charity showed a fivefold increase in the number of children and young people given custody sentences in the last decade. It said 572 children aged 14 or under imprisoned last year had not committed a serious crime.
More children and young people are now imprisoned in England and Wales than in any Western European country, with only the Russian Federation and Ukraine locking up more, according to the briefing, "Locking Up or Giving Up?"
It costs £185,780 a year to keep a young person in custody. Barnados said the same amount could educate a child at Eton College for six years. The charity estimated that £27.5 million could be saved each year if custodial sentences were reserved for 10 to 14 year old children convicted of “grave crimes” or violent offences.
Calling on the government to “drastically reduce” the use of custody for this age group, Barnardos chief executive Martin Narey said it was “inexplicable, unjustifiable and unnecessary”.
The charity said children who offend, or are at risk of offending, and their families respond well to effective early intervention work such as family therapy, restorative justice and targeted support through education, housing and mental health services.
