Quarter of a million children arrested each year
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Howard League for Penal Reform has called for restorative justice to replace "needless" arrests after obtaining figures that reveal a quarter of a million children are arrested each year.
The charity said that at least two-thirds of these arrests are "needless" as in 2010 just 81,500 10- to 17-year-olds were sentenced by a court. In addition, just 4,200 children were sentenced to custody.
The high level of arrests is leaving many young people emotionally distressed and traumatised by their experience, it added.
The charity is calling for restorative justice initiatives instead of arrests and for a revamped probation service focused on "resolution" and work with families to address offending and antisocial behaviour among young people.
The figures have been released as the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill enters the committee stage in the House of Lords.
The charity is concerned that proposals in the bill to elect police commissioners may lead to an increase in arrests of children as they seek to appeal to public opinion.
Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "A police commissioner would find it more electorally enticing to run a campaign aimed at the easy arrest and detention of children rather than devoting resources to crimes that appeal less to the local media or populace."
Of particular concern to the charity is that 22,135 children aged between 10 to 13 were arrested in 2010.
Crook added: "This excessive use of arrest puts a huge burden on the police, who have to do all the paperwork and tie up valuable time and money dealing with young children when they could be dealing with burglaries, rapes and serious disorder."
The high level of arrests is leaving many young people emotionally distressed and traumatised by their experience, it added.
The charity is calling for restorative justice initiatives instead of arrests and for a revamped probation service focused on "resolution" and work with families to address offending and antisocial behaviour among young people.
The figures have been released as the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill enters the committee stage in the House of Lords.
The charity is concerned that proposals in the bill to elect police commissioners may lead to an increase in arrests of children as they seek to appeal to public opinion.
Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "A police commissioner would find it more electorally enticing to run a campaign aimed at the easy arrest and detention of children rather than devoting resources to crimes that appeal less to the local media or populace."
Of particular concern to the charity is that 22,135 children aged between 10 to 13 were arrested in 2010.
Crook added: "This excessive use of arrest puts a huge burden on the police, who have to do all the paperwork and tie up valuable time and money dealing with young children when they could be dealing with burglaries, rapes and serious disorder."
