The Youth Justice Board is set to reduce the number of beds it commissions from both prison service accommodation and local authority secure children’s homes, it has emerged, writes Clare Jerrom.
The board instead will focus on the use of community based intensive supervision and surveillance programmes – available across England and Wales from this week – and places within privately run secure training centres (STCs).
“We are currently evaluating bids from LASCHs (local authority secure children's homes) for the next financial year (2004-2005) with a view to reducing the number of places purchased," a statement from the board said.
“This will correspond with an increase in the number of beds available in STC following the opening of a new 80 bed centre in Milton Keynes during 2004," it added.
There are currently three STCs in England and Wales, and the board also have plans for further STCs to be built in addition to the one in Milton Keynes.
The board's decision follows a reduction in the number of young people sentenced and remanded in custody. According to its figures there has been a 13 per cent fall in the number of juvenile boys in custody since October 2002.
Meanwhile, improvements are needed in the way children are dealt with in custody, according to the acting chairperson of the Youth Justice Board.
Speaking at the YJB’s annual convention in London, Sir Charles Pollard said the pace of reform in the secure sector has not matched the achievements made in the community to deal with young people who offend.
Pollard acclaimed the achievements made by youth offending teams working with young offenders in the community to steer young people away from crime. There has been a 22.5 per cent decrease in re-offending against the predicted rate for young people on community punishments.
Pollard’s comments came as rehabilitation agency Nacro and INQUEST united to launch a call for a public inquiry into the death of 16-year-old Joseph Scholes, who was found hanging in his cell at Stoke Heath young offender institution in March 2002.
Joseph given a two-year custodial sentence despite the fact that he had suffered a traumatic childhood, exhibited signs of depression, periodic suicidal tendencies and had begun to self-harm - in one instance slashing his face 30 times with a knife.
