Keep children out of jail

Recent events have once again brought the youth justice system into focus. The conviction of three teenagers for the tragic murder of Garry Newlove has led to calls for stricter use of bail, tougher sentences for young offenders and where appropriate, punishing their parents too.

Victims and communities are understandably not convinced that enough has been done to stem the tide of youth violence. As a society, we seem increasingly afraid of our youth and this leads to calls for greater use of custody. The problem is that locking young people up will not stop criminal behaviour.

Custodial sentences rising

Britain now locks up far more children than almost every other Western European country - nearly 3,000 at any one time, with the number of 15-17 year olds given custodial sentences rising by almost 100% in just ten years. But custody isn't reforming the majority of these children - three quarters re-offend within a year of release. The public know this: in a recent Smart Justice survey, only 10% of respondents thought that custody transforms young criminals into law-abiding citizens.

The vast majority of children in custody end up there because of a long road of failures and negative influences. They have not been provided with the environment necessary to resist criminal and often violent behaviour, and we cannot be surprised that they end up following a life of crime.

Although much criticised in last week's headlines, we believe an increased use of community sentences is vital and welcome the intention of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill currently before Parliament to strengthen and promote their use. They have been wrongly labelled 'get out of jail free' cards, where in fact they are more effective than custody: for the victims, for the public purse and for changing behaviour of young offenders. The natural place to rehabilitate young people is within their communities, not in isolation.

Ineffective in addressing behaviour

Locking these children up is not only ineffective in addressing offending behaviour, it is also a dangerous place for often vulnerable children. Notwithstanding the best efforts of many prison staff, there are shockingly high rates of self-harm and suicide. Thirty children have died in custody since 1990. At times like this, we need to remind ourselves that The 'Every Child Matters' agenda must also apply to children in trouble with the law their welfare can not be ignored, no matter how unpalatable that may feel to some.

The conclusion can only be that we need to review and reform the way we use custody for children. The Standing Committee for Youth Justice, which represents childrens' charities and penal reform organisations, is therefore calling for this Bill to ensure that children are only ever imprisoned as a last resort, when they pose a serious danger to others.

Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of The Children's Society