‘Dangerous’ young offender institutions should be shut down, children’s commissioner says
Children’s Commissioner calls for new youth justice system based on rehabilitation
- England’s Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has called for a new youth justice system based on rehabilitation and the eventual closure of all young offender institutions.
- Her report highlights that despite a record low of 430 children in custody, almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of those remanded did not go on to receive a custodial sentence.
- Dame Rachel warned that even short periods in custody are profoundly damaging to children, disrupting education and entrenching vulnerabilities, with the average remand length increasing significantly.
- She criticised the current system for treating custody as a “waiting room” for children whose real needs are care, housing or mental health support, noting the overrepresentation of children from black and mixed backgrounds.
- The Commissioner advocates for replacing existing institutions with smaller, homely settings and a clear, time-bound plan to phase out all young offender institutions and secure training centres.