YJB response to the Government’s prison capacity plans

The YJB response to the Government’s announcement that it will increase the number of 18-years-olds in the secure estate for children.

Phil Bowen, Interim Chair of the Youth Justice Board, says: 

We recognise the significant challenges currently facing the adult prison estate and the difficult decisions that ministers must make in managing prison capacity. However, the safety and welfare of children in custody must remain our overriding consideration.

We are therefore disappointed by the announcement to reverse the policy that prevented 18-year-olds being held in the secure estate for children. Our oversight work, supported by wider evidence, demonstrates that children and young adults have distinct needs and require different approaches from staff and services. The specialist skills required to support young adults effectively are not yet consistently in place across the children’s estate. Combined with ongoing challenges relating to staffing, the physical environment and the increasingly complex profile of children in custody, there is a real risk that this decision could have unintended consequences for the safety and wellbeing of both children and staff.