Britain's jail shame for young people

The Prison Reform Trust has called on the government to look to other countries in a bid to cut youth detention and slash youth crime.

England and Wales have one of the highest child custody populations in the western world and the number of children sentenced to custody more than tripled between 1991 and 2006, a report commissioned by the trust showed.

Its report Reducing Child Imprisonment in England and Wales - lessons from abroad looks at how policy-makers in Canada and New York responded to costly and damaging levels of youth custody by completely rethinking their approach to dealing with youth crime.

The trust urged the British government to have the courage to do likewise.

It highlights the way New York State has pursued alternatives to court for youngsters including family therapy and after-school centres for those on remand.

In Canada, the authors report, "new laws passed in 2002 enshrined the principle of custody as a last resort and the aim of sentencing as promoting rehabilitation and reintegration."

The Prison Reform Trust's proposals include greater focus on families as well as the individual, "wrap around" services involving greater partnership between service providers, use of mentors from similar backgrounds to the young people, and a more positive approach "concentrating not just on weaknesses" but on an individual's capacity to change.

The report's authors stated: "A good number of these measures could build on work which is currently being undertaken in England and Wales - whether under the aegis of community justice centres, bail support, intensive supervision and support or youth offending team or voluntary sector initiatives."

Penelope Gibbs, the director of the Prison Reform Trust child and youth imprisonment reduction programme, said: "Child imprisonment is ineffective and frequently inhumane. Other countries like Canada have recognised this and taken radical action.

"This report shows our government that courage in taking on the doubters can pay dividends."

The politicisation of the issue of youth crime is also a major problem, she said.

"Youth crime has become a political football, parties have used it to appear tougher than their political rivals. While some young people do commit very serious crimes and need to be kept in secure places, the vast majority of sentences are for non-violent offences," she said.

"There is a dissonance between the rhetoric and the reality. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be the political will to tackle the other side of the problem."

The need to address social deprivation is also a key aspect of the trust's youth offending proposals.

Ms Gibbs said: "The most socially excluded children are being doubly punished by being locked up as well.

"If we can deal with young people using a welfarist approach, we would be giving them a better hope for the future.

"There is a definite class issue here - you don't tend to see as many middle-class children in prison.

"The US is seem as a pariah in liberal circles on criminal justice and in many ways it is bad, but there are some pockets, some states, which have been very progressive and put British policy to shame."

Morning Star - 02.09.09