Prison Reform Trust welcomes independent review into the deaths of young people in custody

Commenting on the government’s announcement today of an independent review into the deaths of young people in custody, Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: 

“We welcome the government’s commitment to establish an independent review into the deaths of young people in custody. In preparation for and during the review, it will be vital that proper account is taken of the views and experiences of bereaved families. The scope of the review should extend well beyond the short journey from the court to prison. The review has the potential to go further than coroners are able, and many would like, to take account of how a young person first got into trouble, underlying vulnerability or history of abuse or neglect and the sentencing decisions that led to imprisonment.

“It is encouraging that the government has delayed its response to the consultation on young adults in custody to take account of the outcome of the review. How can mixing vulnerable young people with adult prisoners do anything but increase the risk of self-harm and suicide?

“It is a matter of concern that the government has excluded those aged under 18 from the scope of the review while at the same time it is proceeding with plans, contained in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, to create a secure training college and potentially reduce placements for the most vulnerable children in secure children’s homes.

“While education is vital, provision for children must take account of mental health needs, learning disabilities, addictions and childhood abuse or neglect. Small, local, intensively staffed units with a focus on taking responsibility, making amends to victims, gaining skills for employment and having a home to go to are safer and more effective than putting hundreds of teenagers together in over-large institutions.

“Most worryingly of all, the bill makes provision for prison officers to restrain children forcefully simply for not following orders. The courts have made clear that restraining a child for ‘good order and discipline’ is illegal and inquests into the deaths of children have shown that such methods contributed to their deaths. As the independent review seeks to learn the lessons from the deaths of young people in custody, it would be a tragedy if the government proceeds with plans which could put children at greater risk of suicide and self-harm. Before it reverses improvements made in the treatment and conditions of the most vulnerable children in the justice system, the government should review its plans and bring under 18s within the scope of this independent review.”

Notes

On Wednesday 5 February Inquest, the Prison Reform Trust and allied organisations had a letter published in the Daily Telegraph calling on the Government to establish, as a matter of urgency, an independent review with effective involvement from bereaved families in order to safeguard lives in future.

An independent review was one of the recommendations of the Prison Reform Trust and Inquest’s joint report Fatally Flawed, on learning the lessons from the deaths of children and young people in prison.

Inquest has also published a briefing on why a review is urgently needed.