News

There has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of young women in secure facilities over the last year, according to the Youth Justice Board annual review, writes Clare Jerrom.

The figures show there were 155 girls in secure facilities in April 2001, which rose to 218 in April 2002. At the end of March 2002, females accounted for 7 per cent of the juvenile population in custody.

This reflects the increase of the female population in adult prisons, which currently stands at 4,428, according to the home office.

However, the most common profile of a school-age offender is a white male aged 14-16, who is most likely to live in London and the south east or the north-east, and to be excluded from school, the report says. The most common offence committed by young people is theft and handling.

Significant process has been made in tackling the delays which occur between the arrest of a young person and sentencing. The average time has been cut from 142 days to 63 in April 2002.

Lord Warner, chairperson of the Youth Justice Board, urged social services departments to improve the discharge of their statutory responsibilities to looked after children, especially care leavers, who are disproportionately represented in the youth offending population.

Local authorities should ensure youngsters at risk of offending have access to mainstream services, particularly education, supported housing and family support.