Organisations who work with young offenders warned the government not to use children as a “weapon” in the forthcoming general election, writes Maria Ahmed.

Speaking at a conference organised by Community Care this week, Howard League for Penal Reform director Frances Crook

Rod Morgan

criticised the government’s “obsession” with antisocial behaviour and said there was “no need” for further antisocial behaviour legislation.

Chair of the Youth Justice Board Rod Morgan also expressed concerns about the naming and shaming of young offenders and on-the-spot fines. He added that asbos were also inconsistently applied across the UK.

At the conference, which marked the close of Back on Track Campaign, organisations also raised deep concern about the number of deaths in youth custody.

Morgan said the deaths of Gareth Myatt, Adam Rickwood, and Joseph Scholes had sent “shockwaves” through the criminal justice system.

He expressed concern about the “significant” increase of young offenders with mental health problems in custody. He called for more facilities to reduce the likelihood of suicide and self-harm, highlighting a  case at Stoke Health Young Offenders’ Institute earlier this year where it took eight months to transfer a young offender with “almost identical characteristics” to Joseph Scholes to a psychiatric unit.