Children and young people in custody

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 2 Jun 2020 Closed: 29 Apr 2021 Parliament page
Read an interactive summary of the key points of our first report on entry into the youth justice system. Read an interactive summary of the key points of our second report on the youth secure estate and resettlement.
38 Recommendations
7 Conclusions
2 Reports
13 Letters
4 Events
Activity timeline 17 events
8 Sep
2021
Correspondence
28 Apr
2021
Correspondence
19 Apr
2021
Report published
10 Feb
2021
Report published
10 Feb
2021
Report published
12 Nov
2020
Report published
9 Sep
2020
Correspondence
23 Jul
2020
Correspondence
21 Jul
2020
Correspondence
21 Jul
2020
Correspondence
21 Jul
2020
Correspondence
21 Jul
2020
Correspondence
Recommendations & Conclusions
9 results
Clear
2 Conclusion Acknowledged
12th Report: Children and Young Pe…
We recognise the important role that out-of-court disposals, both formal and informal, play in diverting...
We recognise the important role that out-of-court disposals, both formal and informal, play in diverting children from formal criminal justice processes and consider them an integral part of the youth justice system. We note that data collection on the effectiveness … Read more
Government Response
The government recognizes the importance of out-of-court disposals in preventing children from entering the criminal justice system and welcomes the Committee's attention to this area.
Ministry of Justice
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4 Recommendation Acknowledged
12th Report: Children and Young Pe…
We agree with the Chief Inspector of Probation’s recommendation that a national evaluation of the...
We agree with the Chief Inspector of Probation’s recommendation that a national evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of out-of-court disposals be carried out. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice commission such an evaluation, which should consider the impact … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees more understanding is needed regarding out-of-court disposals, noting that the YJB's data collection work and previous evaluations will improve understanding, but it does not commit to commissioning a new national evaluation as recommended.
Ministry of Justice
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7 Recommendation Acknowledged
12th Report: Children and Young Pe…
We agree with the Ministry of Justice’s priority of diverting children away from the criminal...
We agree with the Ministry of Justice’s priority of diverting children away from the criminal justice system and support early intervention work such as Liaison and Diversion schemes. We are aware that Youth Liaison and Diversion schemes may not be … Read more
Government Response
NHS England and NHS Improvement welcome the recommendation and will consider the merits of undertaking a process evaluation of Youth Liaison and Diversion schemes. They are also developing plans to establish pathfinder areas to identify and promote good practice in 2021-22.
Ministry of Justice
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11 Recommendation Acknowledged
12th Report: Children and Young Pe…
We are aware of the work the Ministry of Justice and Youth Custody Service have...
We are aware of the work the Ministry of Justice and Youth Custody Service have done since publication of the Lammy Review to address disproportionality. The youth justice population has changed considerably in the past 10 years, but children from … Read more
Government Response
The government shares concerns about disproportionality and commits to understanding and tackling it, stating this is a mainstream responsibility with resources integrated throughout. They refer to existing data publications but do not commit to providing new detailed research or a specific breakdown of allocated resources.
Ministry of Justice
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20 Conclusion Acknowledged
12th Report: Children and Young Pe…
Children and young people going through the court system have very distinct needs, many having...
Children and young people going through the court system have very distinct needs, many having neurodevelopmental and communication needs. They may not fully understand proceedings. Every opportunity must be made to ensure that children are not unfairly disadvantaged; everyone should … Read more
Government Response
The government recognizes the importance of supporting children in the justice system. It is considering the feasibility of Law Commission recommendations on intermediaries for defendants and highlights existing support for children provided by YOTs and YJB guidance.
Ministry of Justice
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23 Conclusion Acknowledged
12th Report: Children and Young Pe…
We reiterate the importance of data collection here; backlogs have a knock-on effect on the...
We reiterate the importance of data collection here; backlogs have a knock-on effect on the system, and it is imperative that we understand what the current situation looks like if we are to address it going forward.
Government Response
The government provides youth outstanding case data up to June 2020 but notes that official statistics post-June 2020 and 2019-2020 timeliness statistics are unavailable due to the pandemic. It details work by the Youth Justice Working Group to address backlogs, stating that youth courts have concluded more cases than received since July 2020.
Ministry of Justice
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7 Conclusion Acknowledged
16th Report - Children and young p…
Substantial concern has been expressed to us about use of force against children and young...
Substantial concern has been expressed to us about use of force against children and young people across the youth custodial estate, and we note that sanctioned use of 42 Children and Young People in Custody (part 2): The Youth Secure … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the increase in restrictive physical intervention, particularly for complex girls, and outlines ongoing efforts including a forthcoming Girls Strategy, improved data capture, the planned removal of pain-inducing techniques from the MMPR syllabus, and an independent review panel to scrutinise use of force.
Ministry of Justice
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16 Recommendation Acknowledged
16th Report - Children and young p…
It is essential that children have access to appropriate Employment, Training and Education services when...
It is essential that children have access to appropriate Employment, Training and Education services when they leave custody, not least to reduce the risk and the rate of reoffending. The Ministry of Justice, Youth Custody Service and Youth Justice Board … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the recommendation and commits to continuing multi-agency working with the YCS and YJB, stating it is also working towards commissioning a new educational service for under-18 YOIs to improve learning outcomes.
Ministry of Justice
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18 Recommendation Acknowledged
16th Report - Children and young p…
It is apparent that accommodation is a significant problem for some children being release from...
It is apparent that accommodation is a significant problem for some children being release from custody. It is unacceptable that a child should not know until the day of their release where they will live the day after. We agree … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of suitable accommodation and the need for collaborative work, stating it is currently exploring policy options through stakeholder engagement to address these issues.
Ministry of Justice
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Government Response AI assessment · 45 of 38 classified
Accepted 21
Accepted in Part 4
Acknowledged 9
Deferred 6
Rejected 5
Total 38 recs + 7 conclusions
Correspondence 13 letters
8 Sep 2021 To committee Letter from Alex Chalk MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, dated 31 August 2021, regarding update on Report on Children and Young people in custody
Parliament page
28 Apr 2021 To committee Letter from Alex Chalk MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, dated 26 April 2021, regarding Children and Young People in Custody (part 2)
Parliament page
9 Sep 2020 Written evidence from Magistrates Association
Parliament page
23 Jul 2020 Written evidence from The Association of Youth Offending Team Managers
Parliament page
21 Jul 2020 Written evidence from JUSTICE
Parliament page
21 Jul 2020 Written evidence from Youth Justice Board
Parliament page
21 Jul 2020 Written evidence from UK National Preventive Mechanism
Parliament page
21 Jul 2020 Written evidence from Royal College of Psychiatrists
Parliament page
21 Jul 2020 Written evidence from EQUAL
Parliament page
15 Jul 2020 Written evidence from the Children's Commissioner
Parliament page
8 Jul 2020 Written evidence from Royal College of Psychiatrists
Parliament page
24 Jun 2020 To committee Letter from Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 17 June 2020 on Secure Schools Programme
Parliament page
23 Jun 2020 To committee Letter from Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 17 June 2020, on Youth Custody Reports
Parliament page