by Clare Jerrom
I'd like to say I'm shocked by the appalling figures produced by the Prison Reform Trust that three quarters of young people who are placed on remand in a custodial setting are then acquitted of any crime or handed out a community sentence, but sadly these figures are of no great surprise.
The statistics reveal that the number of children imprisoned on remand has increased by more than 40% since 2000 - despite the fact that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child says that children should be imprisoned 'only as a last resort measure and for the shortest appropriate period of time'. The number of children locked up on remand has increased much more than the number sentenced to custody.
Prison is damaging and not a place for children who have not been found guilty of a crime unless they pose a serious threat to society or themselves if they were to be released under community supervision. But given the fact that 75% go on to be acquitted or given a community sentence does not tally.
It is unlikely these young people will be given access to the greatest education, many reports by the chief inspector of prisons point to a lack of purposeful activity in Young Offenders Institutions, while bullying can be rife.
My own investigations into the transportation of young offenders found that young people taken to prison - including those on remand - would be forced to endure long journeys with insufficient food and comfort breaks which meant they were forced to urinate in the cages they were transported in and had to clean them out on arrival at their new 'accommodation'. The vans were not even fitted with seatbelts.
It is also apparent that disruptive children can be placed in a 'special cell' in solitary confinement until they calm down.
I can only imagine the use of these inappropriate cells is rising. I mean, if I was innocent, and placed in a van with no seatbelts alongside adult prisoners, forced to urinate in my 'cage' and clean the van out on arrival, I would think that when I arrived at prison I would be pretty upset, lonely, uncertain about my future, worried for my family, confused and scared. Or should I say, disruptive?
In response to this article and the recent one on the Howard League comments about "dire conditions" in YOIs - Has the time not come to fully integrate Youth Justice systems with those in local authoritities dealing with children and families? Young people in custody should be recognised as children and as such classed as Looked After to ensure their needs are adequately met.