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MP Hilton Dawson is writing to the home secretary to ask him to meet with young offenders following a parliamentary briefing organised this week by Community Care, writes Maria Ahmed.

At the briefing organised as part of Community Care’s ‘Back on Track’ youth justice campaign, two young offenders called for a reduction of young people in custody.

Ex-offender James McClenaghan, 18, who now works for the charity Rainer, called prison “a university of criminals”. He said short-term sentences were “a waste of time” and highlighted the lack of opportunities for development and support of young offenders.

Sam Richards, a 14-year-old client of Brighton Youth Offending Team, added that the police needed to do more to engage with young people.

Peter Blanksby, whose daughter Petra took her own life while on remand in New Hall prison last November, also called for people with mental health problems to be placed in psychiatric hospitals rather than prisons.

Petra was placed in prison for trying to kill herself by setting her bedroom alight and self-harmed 92 occasions during the 130 days she spent in prison.

Dawson, a former social worker, told a panel of campaigners he would be raising issues from the briefing with David Blunkett.

Community Care’s ‘Back on Track’ campaign demands an immediate reduction in the number of young people being sent to custody and for a greater use of community penalties. We also want to see a reduction of self-harm and suicide in custody through a greater involvement of social workers and those with serious mental health problems to be immediately removed.

An Early Day Motion tabled in June which calls for MPs to support the campaign has so far been backed by 67 MPs and Lords.