Getting young offenders Back on Track

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.