Thousands of children jailed – before being found guilty
Under-18s can be held on remand for a year before being tried, figures reveal
More than 27,000 children have been locked up before being convicted of any crime over the last five years. They include 1,004 under-18s held on remand for more than six months and 83 detained for more than one year.
The extent of youngsters being detained before appearing in court emerged as the Government trumpeted a sharp fall in youth crime. Around 2,600 under-18s are behind bars at any one time in England and Wales, which is among the highest rates of youth incarceration in Europe.
Youth Justice Board figures have disclosed that around 5,000 children are held on remand at some point every year. They include 5,471 in 2004-05, 5,673 in 2005-06, 5,601 in 2006-07, 5,301 in 2007-08 and 4,963 last year, adding up to 27,009 over five years.
Last year, 198 children were locked up on remand for more than six months. Numbers of children held on remand are 40 per cent higher than in 2000 and a recent survey estimated two-thirds of them were subsequently acquitted or given a community sentence.
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
No comments:
Post a Comment