Survey responses underline why prison is no place for a child

The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ Children in custody 2024-2025 report, published today (Tuesday 23 September).

The annual report analyses survey responses from children living in five prisons in England and Wales – the young offender institutions (YOIs) at Werrington, Wetherby, Parc, Feltham A and Cookham Wood – and Oakhill secure training centre, in Milton Keynes.

Although fewer children were held in these establishments than in the year before, they continued 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 were able to make it to education or other activities, the quality of the sessions was rarely good enough.

Violence was much higher than in prisons holding adults, and only 49% of children who responded to surveys said that they felt cared for by most staff. In some cases, children were so scared that they did not leave their cells at all.

The report reveals that 40% of the children surveyed were in custody on remand, often for short periods of time. This made it more difficult for staff to build relationships with them and provide the support they needed.

Four per cent of children reported having been sexually assaulted by staff, and this was as high as 15% at Oakhill.

The report states that, in recent years, the youth justice system has been much more successful at diverting some groups of children away from custody than others. While the total number of children in custody has fallen, Muslim children and those from an ethnic minority background have become increasingly overrepresented when compared with data from the 2021 census.

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Prison is no place for a child, and these painfully upsetting survey responses from children trapped in the system explain why. They chime with what the Howard League hears consistently through its legal advice line.

“It beggars belief that the government has given the go-ahead for staff to use PAVA spray against children held in these conditions, where they feel unsafe and uncared for. Introducing another way to inflict pain on children will only succeed in making these problems worse.

“Instead of arming staff, ministers should be focused on ensuring that children are being given all the support they need to move on from crime and lead positive lives. It starts with shutting these prisons.”

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 2024-2025 report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website.
3. Earlier this year, the Howard League obtained figures which showed that children in young offender institutions in England were typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours per day and receiving less than 15 hours of education per week. Our press release about the figures can be found here.
4. Last month, the Howard League and Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) published an updated version of their joint guide, Education inside penal detention for children in England. This is the only resource of its kind that explains the legal rights and entitlements of children with special educational needs in custody.
5. Click here for more information about the Howard League’s drive to protect children from PAVA spray.

Contact

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