A new report finds that while the average number of children in detention fell by 73% in the decade between 2010 and 2020, the numbers are expected to rise sharply in the coming months. The National Audit Office (NAO) that conducted the study says this is partly due to the increase in litigation following cuts during the COVID pandemic and partly to the impact of the law on police, crime, conviction and the courts and the government. plans to hire additional police officers He also notes that the start of a new safe school has been delayed by three years. The number of children aged 15 to 17 in juvenile offenders is expected to double, from 343 in July 2021 to 700 in July 2025, the report said. This would be similar to pre-pandemic levels (737 children were detained in March 2019/20), but significantly lower than a decade ago – in 2010/11, 2,027 children were detained in March. Read more: Young offenders ‘set up to fail’ after release Courts to consider young offenders background in sentencing The report also notes that ethnic minorities are overrepresented in detention. More than half – 53% – of children in detention in the year ending March 2021 came from ethnic minorities, up from 32% in 2011. Black children accounted for 29% of children in detention, compared with 18% in the year ended March 2011. The survey further found that about a third of children in custody reported having a known mental health disorder, while many had other health problems and learning disabilities. “Concerns are growing” Boys made up 97% of children in custody in 2021, but the report notes that while the proportion of girls in custody is low, they have some of the most complex needs and are more likely to have experienced sexual and physical victimization. The incidence of self-harm per 100 children increased by 90% among children in custody from March 2015 to March 2021, the report also notes. He noted that in February 2022, there were 414 children in detention, whether in safe havens, juvenile detention centers (YOIs) or safe training centers (STCs), and said there were “growing concerns” about the safety of children being held in STCs. He said inspectors “became persistently concerned” about the welfare of children in the three STCs in England, describing them as either inadequate or in need of improvement every year since 2017. The NAO said the STC “failures” meant that children were being transferred to care areas previously deemed unsuitable for their needs. In 2016, a government-sponsored review of the youth justice system recommended the creation of safe schools that would provide education and rehabilitation for children in a “therapeutic environment”. The Ministry of Justice said it would set up two new safe schools, but the opening of the first one was delayed by three years from autumn 2020 to November 2023. Proposals have increased The report said progress was slower than expected due to the timing assumptions made at the start of the project, as well as the changes that HMPPS (Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service) had to make to meet in the Ofsted guidelines on standards for safe childhood homes and related costs. The government said it expects safe schools to provide places for all children, but the provider will have the final say on children being accepted. In July 2019, the government appointed the Oasis Charitable Trust to run the first safe school, which is expected to provide 49 seats. Under this arrangement, principals will be able to reject children if they feel they can not meet their needs. The NAO report also found that the average length of child custody sentences increased from 11 months to 17 months between 2011 and 2021. A Justice Department spokesman said he was committed both to ensuring public safety and to achieving “the best possible outcome for every child we care for”. “Our new Secure School will put education, healthcare and rehabilitation at the heart of our efforts to reduce crime and maintain public safety.”
