Second juvenile death in custody this year

The Howard League for Penal Reform today slammed the penal
system for failing children following the second death of a
juvenile in custody this year, writes Clare
Jerrom.

A 17-year-old boy was found hanging in Hindley prison yesterday.
A 16-year-old was found hanging in the segregation unit of
Lancaster Farms prison in January.

“This boy was only one month older than my own child and
my heart grieves for his family,” said Frances Crook,
director of the penal reform charity. “We must all make sure
no other family ever suffers in the same way.”

“We must end child death in custody,” Crook
concluded.

The charity is set to launch a national campaign calling for the
end of the use of prison custody for children and to encourage the
use of more effective ways of dealing with children who commit
crime.