Children in solitary confinement

The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ review of progress on separation of children in young offender institutions, published today (Tuesday 1 October).

The review follows a January 2020 report which found that children were subject to widespread solitary confinement, spending more than 22 hours a day locked up.

More than four years later, there has been little change. The review found that most separated children were not being provided with adequate access to education and exercise. In the worst cases, on some days, children did not leave their cells at all.

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “All children need exercise, education and contact with other people if they are to grow, progress and live healthily as adults. But children in prison are being failed, time and time again.

“Several years after this scandal was uncovered, it is unconscionable that children are still being locked up for hours on end and being denied the care and support they need. Rather than supporting children to thrive, the system is instead inflicting significant harm on them. This is yet further evidence that prison is no place for a child.

“We hope that the new government will address this legacy of failure and take meaningful steps to ensure that children are kept safe and helped to succeed in more appropriate settings.”

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. In December 2023, the government agreed to pay compensation after accepting that a 15-year-old boy, who was kept in solitary confinement in Feltham prison for weeks on end, was subjected to “inhuman or degrading treatment”. The boy, identified in court documents as ‘AB’ and represented by the Howard League, was locked alone in his cell for more than 23 hours a day for at least the first 55 days of his detention in Feltham, from December 2016 to February 2017. More information about this case can be found on the Howard League website: https://howardleague.org/news/government-agrees-that-treatment-of-15-year-old-boy-in-solitary-confinement-breached-article-3-of-european-convention-on-human-rights/
3. The review of progress will be available on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/our-reports/

Contact

Noor Khan
Press and Public Affairs Officer
Tel: +44 (0)20 7241 7873
Email: noor.khan@howardleague.org