The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has responded to the Children in Custody 2024–25 report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, emphasizing the need for systemic change in youth justice across England and Wales.
The YJB highlights prevention as a crucial strategy to address unsafe environments, prolonged isolation, and disrupted education for children in custody.
Addressing Disproportionality and Unsafe Conditions
The YJB’s response underscores the pressing need to tackle disproportionality within the youth justice system, particularly among Black and ethnic minority children.
These groups are disproportionately represented in custody, often facing harsher conditions due to systemic biases like adultification.
The YJB advocates for trauma-informed care and restorative practices over punitive measures to create safer custodial environments.
Strategies for Change
- Promoting early intervention through the Child First framework
- Reducing unnecessary remand rates with community alternatives
- Fostering trauma-informed custodial settings with quality education
- Tackling racial disparities and supporting care-experienced children
- Encouraging cross-sector collaboration among social care, education, and justice sectors
The Importance of Education Access
Education access remains a critical issue within custodial settings, especially for neurodivergent children whose learning opportunities are often disrupted.
The YJB emphasizes that improving educational support can significantly impact future opportunities for these young individuals.
By ensuring consistent access to quality education, the system can better prepare children for successful reintegration into society.
Innovative Community Alternatives
The London Accommodation Pathfinder is highlighted as a promising model offering therapeutic community support that reduces remand rates.
This initiative provides an alternative to traditional custody by focusing on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Such models demonstrate how community-based solutions can effectively address youth offending while minimizing exposure to harmful environments.
Quotes from Stakeholders
“Too many children in custody are spending long periods in their rooms, missing education, and experiencing unsafe environments where violence and poor behaviour management remain common,”
said Stephanie Roberts-Bibby, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board (YJB).
“As strategic leaders in youth justice, at the YJB we believe the most effective way to respond is to start with prevention.”
“By keeping prevention as the starting point, addressing disproportionality, reducing unnecessary remand, and embedding the evidence base across all sectors,”
she continued,
“we can reduce the number of children in custody, create safer communities, and ensure fewer victims.”
Additional Reading
Food for Thought
The Youth Justice Board’s focus on prevention aligns with broader policy directions aimed at reforming youth justice systems across England and Wales.
By prioritizing early intervention and trauma-informed care while addressing racial disparities head-on, there is potential not only for reducing youth offending but also fostering safer communities overall.
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Sources: UK Government, and HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
Prepared by Ivan Alexander Golden, Founder of THX News™, an independent news organization delivering timely insights from global official sources. Combines AI-analyzed research with human-edited accuracy and context.
