News

Recruitment Talk’s sister magazine Community Care launched a new campaign this month to improve the treatment of young offenders in the UK.

The Back on Track campaign calls for a dramatic reduction in the number of children and young people being held in prison and for the greater use of community sentences instead.

It also demands better standards of treatment and rehabilitation for young people who offend with respect given to their human rights.

The campaign highlights the results of Community Care’s new research. The statistics reveal nearly seven in 10 social workers have worked with young offenders who have considered or attempted suicide.

An alarming 81 per cent of respondents have worked with young offenders who have harmed themselves while in custody with cutting, head banging and scratching being the most common forms of self-harm. And 92 per cent believe that custody worsens existing mental health problems.

“There are statistics showing that an overwhelming majority of young people who offend have mental health problems or turn to crime because they are socially excluded or have gone through the trauma of a family breakdown,” says Community Care editor Mark Ivory.

“The government is using prison as the solution to youth crime but with 80 per cent of young people reoffending within two years of release, custody is simply not working. Our survey showed that a staggering 92 per cent of social workers who responded believed custody was definitely not the best form of rehabilitation.”

For further information on the Back on Track campaign please click here.