The children in custody

The overwhelming majority of children in custody are boys and nearly all are above the age of 15. The Inspectorate’s survey data consistently shows children in YOIs and STCs differ dramatically from the population in the community.

Of children surveyed in 2024–25, 65% told us they had previously been in local authority care, 46% said they had health problems and 33% reported being disabled, highlighting the difficult start many of them have before they encounter the criminal justice system. One in 10 reported being parents themselves. Eight per cent of children reported being from the traveller community which continued to be the most overrepresented group in children’s custody.

Stuck in their cells

The report finds that too many children continue to spend long periods locked up behind cell doors. Only 61% of those surveyed said they got more than two hours out of their cell on weekdays, which dropped to 45% for the weekend. When children make it to education or other activities, the quality on offer is rarely good enough and sessions are often restricted or curtailed because of staff shortages. Findings at the inspection of Cookham Wood in 2023 were appalling, and the establishment was closed during this reporting year, adding greater pressure on other already troubled institutions.

Violence

Levels of violence remain much higher than in the adult estate, which makes it unsurprising that children’s perceptions of safety have not improved. There has been a failure to introduce and use effective behaviour management systems, and a worryingly low number of children say they are supported and motivated to behave.

Lack of supportive relationships  with staff

Children are often negative about staff effectiveness and this year just 49% of children felt cared for by most staff. Despite there being many more staff than children at every establishment, one in three children said there was no one to turn to if they had a problem. The proportion of children on remand, often for short periods of time, is 40%; this means there is not enough time to build the strong, supportive relationships that are essential if these troubled children are to be rehabilitated.

HMYOI Parc

These findings are not only dismal and extremely concerning, they are also deeply frustrating. Unlike the rest of the prison estate, YOIs and the STC do not suffer from under-staffing or lack of resources. Perhaps the most infuriating aspect (which has been true for many years now) is that while these grim circumstances are the norm, HM YOI Parc consistently provides a much better quality of care. 

The children at Parc have a consistent daily routine which means that they got out of their cells for a good amount of time. Almost all (96%) of the children surveyed said that staff encouraged them to attend education, training or work compared to 51% at Cookham Wood (as stated, no longer a YOI).

This trend continues for other aspects of the regime:

• 85% children at Parc felt there were cared for by staff compared to 36% at Werrington & 35% at Cookham.
• At Parc 72% children said they were motivated by rewards or incentives schemes, almost four times the proportion of children at Feltham (19%).
• 11% children said they had been verbally abused by staff compared to 46% at Oakhill STC and 45% at Werrington.
• 4% Parc children said they had been physically assaulted compared to 27% at Oakhill and 20% at Feltham.

Conclusion

Secure Schools were supposed to be the answer to this problem but only one, run by Oasis Restore at Rochester, was finally opened last year only to be (temporarily) shut again last month. The only Ofsted inspection to date judged that the school required improvement to be good and the effectiveness of its leaders and managers was inadequate.

The prospects of most children in custody being supported to turn their lives around seems bleak indeed.

Thanks to Andy Aitchison for kind permission to use the header image in this post. You can see Andy’s work here.