What justice for young people?

An eightfold increase in the number of children being locked up
by the courts during a decade when recorded youth crime was
actually falling, as Nacro’s report shows, is shameful. The
Youth Justice Board’s recent report showing a 40 fold
difference in the custodial sentences dispensed by courts around
the country is an equally shocking testament to the lack of justice
in the youth justice system. This is a breach of the human rights
of young people and damages the whole community too as custody
fails to tackle the causes of young people’s offending
behaviour, or to stop it recurring.