YJB responds to children in custody report, 2025 to 2026

On 22 September, HM Inspectorate of Prisons published its analysis of 12–18-year-olds’ perceptions of their experiences in custody.

Steph Roberts-Bibby, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board, said:

Every child in custody should be safe, supported to learn and given the opportunity to build a positive future. The persistent challenges highlighted by HM Inspectorate of Prisons show that, despite significant investment and historically low numbers of children in custody, we remain too far from consistently achieving that.

There are important lessons from the progress made across the wider youth justice system that can be applied to children in custody. A clear approach informed by the Child First evidence base has provided a unifying framework for police, youth justice services and the judiciary, in helping to shift the system towards prevention, diversion and approaches that recognise children’s strengths, needs, vulnerabilities and potential. This is what works to prevent offending and reduce reoffending.

Youth custody has yet to benefit from the same consistently applied, evidence-based model for working with children. We believe establishing that clarity of purpose and translating it into the everyday experience of children and staff will be critical to achieving sustained improvement.