Children in custody: Howard League responds to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report   

The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ review of children in custody, published today (Tuesday 22 September).

The thematic report, Children in custody 2025–26, looks at evidence gathered from inspections, survey findings and interviews from children held in four young offender institutions and a secure training centre in England and Wales. It highlights generally poor standards across the youth estate, with violence, inadequate education provision, and children spending long periods locked in their cells. 

Inspectors found that 16% of children were not participating in any education, work or behavioural interventions. Education provision was inadequate at every young offender institution aside from Parc, and boys at Feltham and Werrington were unlocked for less than four hours a day. Only a minority of children had education or work arranged in the community before they were released. 

The report notes ongoing violence across the estate, with 39% of children saying they had felt unsafe at some point during their time in custody and 14% saying they felt unsafe at the time of the survey. Only 51% of children said they felt cared for by most staff, and one in three reported having no member of staff they could turn to for help with a problem. Only 70% of children received visits, and of those, only 38% had them once a week or more. 

Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Prison is no place for a child. We know this from the calls we receive on our legal advice line each week. We see it in the reports and official statistics showing that children are locked up for hours on end. And today, we hear it again from the children themselves, through the many survey responses that have been collated by inspectors.

“The danger now is that conditions will become even worse for children in custody. In Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby prisons, the government has allowed staff to continue using PAVA spray on children for another year, even while this report notes that the weapon is being used to resolve problems caused by ineffective and inconsistent behaviour management. 

“Pressure in these jails may also build as 18-year-olds remain in them for longer, unable to move to adult prisons because overcrowding has brought the entire system close to collapse.

“It is time for the government to act decisively. Get children out of these toxic places and into an environment where they will receive the care and support they need to turn their lives around.” 

Notes to editors 

1. The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the world. It is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.
2. The Children in custody 2025-2026 report will be available on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/our-reports/
3. In March 2026, the Howard League shared figures, obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, which showed that children were typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours a day and receiving less than 15 hours of education per week: https://howardleague.org/news/new-figures-reveal-continued-failure-of-prisons-holding-children/ 

Contact 

Noor Khan
Press and Public Affairs Officer
Tel: +44 (0)20 7241 7873
Email: [email protected]