Nacro responds to the HMIP Report on the experiences of children in custody

Responding to the HMIP Report on the experiences of children in custody, CEO of Nacro Campbell Robb said: 

“The HM Inspectorate of Prisons Report into the experiences of children in custody lays bare the deepening crisis within our youth custodial system. The environment described in today’s report is a glaring indictment of a system that continues to fail the most vulnerable children in society. This report must be a wakeup call – the worsening conditions of violence, disorder, and neglect that these children endure cannot be allowed to continue. 

The fact that more children than ever feel unsafe in custody is a clear reflection of a broken system in which instability and fear have become the norm. With nearly one in six children in custody report feeling unsafe— double what it was last year —it is clear that the environment in our young offender institutions (YOIs) is profoundly harmful for these children.  

Of equal concern is the alarming lack of education and development opportunities available to children in custody. As the report highlights, children are spending the majority of their day locked in cells with minimal engagement. We know that education and pastoral support services are absolutely vital for young people if we want to reduce their risk of reoffending and give them the chance to turn their lives around. Yet, in the place of meaningful support, this report reveals the shocking reality that children are being left isolated for 22 hours a day. Isolation and a lack of access to education are serious concerns in any prison, but for children the impact of such measures can be acutely detrimental to their future. Depriving children in custody of the education and training necessary to transition into adult life beyond the criminal justice system is tantamount to setting them up to fail.  

Children should only be held in custody as an absolute last resort and for the shortest time possible. When custody is necessary, it must be safe and focused on ensuring children are given the education and support they need to build better futures. 

This report should prompt the Government to take urgent and considered action. The current system is failing these children, the repercussions of which seriously threaten to undermine their future. It is time for the government to act—to put the welfare, education, and care of young people at the centre of the criminal justice system.”