Youth custody level falls below 1,000 for first time
Neil Puffett
Friday, January 16, 2015
Numbers of young people in custody have dropped below 1,000 for the first time, the Youth Justice Board (YJB) has revealed.
Over the Christmas and New Year period, real time - known as “unlock” - statistics for numbers of young people in custody showed that the significant milestone had been achieved.
In a bulletin to youth offending teams and secure estate managers, YJB director of operations Lucy Dawes said that although the figure, which is based on data supplied daily by custodial establishments, is unofficial, it represents a “significant landmark and a remarkable achievement”.
“While we should note that the ‘unlock’ figure is likely to rise slightly in the coming year, as Christmas is usually a time of relatively low custody numbers, I still believe this is a moment to celebrate and a trend that I hope will continue,” she said.
“This general decline in the number of young people in custody will, I hope, give some reassurance to those of you who have expressed concerns at recent moves to decommission places in the secure estate for children and young people.
“Crucially, it has also helped us make the arguments to government about the continuing value of youth offending teams and the multi-agency model.
“This, in turn, has been critical in making the case to government to limit cuts to YOT grants, which could have been considerably higher.”
Official figures for custody levels in December are not due to be published until next month.
The reduction of young people in custody to fewer than 1,000 represents a huge change over a short period of time. In June 2008, the figure peaked at 3,072, but since then it has fallen consistently as a result of major attempts by various agencies to work to deal with more young offenders in the community.
However, the fall in custody numbers has led to a number of establishments being decommissioned as a result. This has led to issues around the distance from home young people are held and problems with gang members from different areas being held in the same institution.
The fall was welcomed by youth justice campaigners. Penelope Gibbs, chair of the Standing Committee on Youth Justice, said: "It is fantastic news that custody numbers dipped below 1,000 over the Christmas period.
"This dip again casts doubt on the need for a secure college which will have over 300 beds. Let's hope this low population will encourage the government to think again."
Earlier this week, a report by chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick found that there are a total of 48 gangs operating at the young offender institution for under-18s at Feltham, in west London.