The number of children under 18 who are imprisoned in England and Wales has fallen
by a third over the last three years, from about 3,000 in the first half of 2008 to around 2,000 in the first part of 2011.
• This unexpected fall represents the largest decline in custody for children since the 1980’s. It does not reflect a broader trend in the use of custody, which has risen for adults.
• The fall has been largely brought about by fewer children being sentenced to
Detention and Training Orders with particularly marked declines in the numbers of
younger children and girls. Declines have been particularly marked in large
conurbations. The falls have not applied as much to black and minority ethnic children as to white.
A number of factors explain the fall but it is not the case that reducing custody has been a deliberate or overt policy objective in central government. Rather, a range of dynamics behind the scenes have worked together to reduce the number of children appearing before the courts, reducing the proportion of these children who are sentenced to custody.
To read the full pdf from Rob Allen, PRT, Click here: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/lastresort.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment