Statistics released by the Ministry of Justice and the Youth Justice Board over the Easter break show 9 out of 10 children in custody continue to be held in prison environments. Data for 2016/17 shows 89% of children remanded or held in custody after sentencing were placed in either young offender institutions (YOIs) or secure … Read more
Article 39 continues to challenge changes pushed through House of Commons Committee stage, which will allow looked after children from England to be detained in secure accommodation in Scotland on welfare grounds. The changes to the Children Act 1989 were tabled by Children’s Minister Edward Timpson MP in December 2016, as amendments to the Children … Read more
Members of Parliament on the Committee scrutinising the Children and Social Work Bill have voted to allow the exemption clauses back in. These will allow individual councils to be excused from any number of legal duties towards vulnerable children and young people for up to six years. The Children’s Minister repeated today that the purpose … Read more
Article 39 is supporting an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill, which would force a review of expected changes to the law on placing looked after children in secure accommodation in Scotland. Since the introduction of secure units more than 30 years ago, the law has required that looked after children only be … Read more
Data released today to Labour’s Shadow Justice Minister, Andy Slaughter MP, reveals there were 7,784 restraint incidents leading to child injuries in custodial institutions between 2007 and 2015. Across these eight years: 4,092 restraints in young offender institutions resulted in children being injured 2,583 restraints in secure training centres resulted in children being injured 1,109 … Read more