HM Inspectorate of Prisons published its annual ‘Children in Custody’ report, which provides an exploration of 12–18-year-olds’ perceptions of their experiences in secure training centres (STCs) and young offender institutions (YOIs) across England and Wales.
The children’s custodial estate has been in crisis for some time, with high levels of violence, high isolation and children not accessing education, work or training. This report continues to paint a stark picture of life for children in secure settings. YJLC joins the calls for the radical change needed to reflect a genuinely Child First approach.
Details
One of the report’s primary findings is the high levels of violence within youth custody services, with levels of violence remaining much higher than in adult estates.
- 43% of children reported feeling unsafe at some point in custody, although this figure varied massively across institutions. At Parc, for example, 11% of children stated that they felt unsafe at the time of the survey as opposed to 29% at Cookham Wood.
- 61% of children reported that they experienced bullying, violence or victimisation from other children with 30% stating that they had experienced physical assault at the hands of their peers.
- Furthermore, only 27% of children said that they would report bullying / victimisation to staff, suggesting that instances of bullying / victimisation are highly underreported across these institutions.
In an attempt to cope with such high levels of violence and in the absence of adequate behaviour management schemes, staff often resorted to isolating children / keeping them apart. A lack of positive reinforcement, despite evidence showing that behaviour management schemes work better when more attention is given to correct behaviour, was also an overwhelming theme in staff’s interaction with children:
- The percentage of children who reported that they had been locked up and stopped from mixing with their peers as a punishment was highest at Cookham Wood, at 81%, and the lowest at Feltham, at 51%. A more in-depth report into the separation of children in young offender institutions can be found here.
- The high levels of violence, lack of adequate behaviour management systems, and high isolation times meant that children spent very little time taking part in any productive activity. The number of children who spent less than two hours out of their cell on weekdays was 39%.
- Despite these institutions offering various forms of purposeful activities (such as education, paid work, vocational training, etc.), approximately 22% of children stated that they were not taking part in any purposeful activity at all. A more in-depth study on declining education in youth offender institutions can be found here.
- Despite there being a high staff to child ratio in every surveyed institution, one in three children stated that they had no one to turn to if they had a problem.
Another significant problem was that as approximately 40% of children are at these institutions for only a short period of time whilst on remand, strong and supportive relationships were difficult to form.
The survey indicates that Parc YOI is the most effective youth institution out of those surveyed with regards to time out of cell, behaviour management, and relationships with staff.
The Youth Justice Board has said that this report “confirms that our secure estate is not fit for purpose”. Instead, the YJB states that if custody for children is necessary, it should be “delivered in small, care-focused environments that mirror family homes, keep children close to their support networks, and help them to develop positive identities.”
Meanwhile the Children’s Commissioner, who has long called for YOIs to be closed as a matter of urgency, describes the level of harm being inflicted as “staggering” and that our most vulnerable children are being “failed by services at every stage of their lives”.
Commentary
This report reveals the reality of the conditions child custodial estate which continues to be characterised by violence, bullying, isolation and a lack of genuinely rehabilitative activity.
Too many children in custody are not getting the education they need to act as a protective factor against offending. Given the prevalence of children with special educational needs in custody, the need is even greater to provide genuinely high-quality education.
Children held on remand, in particular, suffer greatly from the lack of meaningful support and disruption to their lives. Children are still being held on remand unnecessarily; the majority of children held on remand do not go on to receive a custodial sentence.
We echo the call for a radically different system, one which is genuinely Child First in its approach.