Crises and crossroads for the children’s secure estate: Resisting child imprisonment and rethinking youth custody post-pandemic
Today, AYJ publishes the third of three policy briefings for our ‘Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Justice’ research project, delivered in collaboration between ourselves and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of the UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to COVID-19.
The briefing presents the significant challenges for the children’s secure estate that lie ahead in the wake of the pandemic. It examines existing failures pre-pandemic, the significant risk of harm to children in custody as a result of experiences during the pandemic, failures in strategy for the children’s secure estate, and the government projection that the number of children in custody will steeply rise in coming years.
The briefing finds:
Experiences in custody during COVID-19 have been brutal for both children and staff. New practices have been developed and cultural norms have shifted, creating significant risks but also opportunities to rethink regimes and standards.
There is no clear central plan or ambition for the children’s secure estate. The pandemic response has demonstrated why this is so critical, and raised questions about leadership, oversight and structure of the estate.
Alarm bells are ringing about how an estate already on its knees will be drawn further into deep crisis, should the number of children in custody rapidly increase as projected by the government.
We call for:
A clear vision for the future of the children’s secure estate. With the estate facing unprecedented pressures, and with important lessons to be learnt from the pandemic, the need for a comprehensive long-term vision that sets out plans to close YOIs and STCs and increase SCH capacity, alongside an improvement plan for the current estate, has never been greater.
Urgent action to repair the harms of the pandemic. Children have been significantly impacted by their experiences of custody during the pandemic, and experiences have exacerbated discrimination and disadvantage. Focus and investment is needed to repair this harm.
Concerted efforts to keep children out of custody. The number of children in custody is currently at a historic low, presenting a key opportunity. Action is needed to resist child imprisonment and stop the government’s projection becoming a reality.
Read the full policy briefing here.
This briefing draws on our comprehensive literature review, in-depth interviews with national stakeholders, consultation sessions with AYJ members and Young Advocates, and a series of research papers by our project partners at Manchester Metropolitan University.