Independent: Almost 3,000 children now held in custody

A drive to cut the number of children behind bars in England and Wales – the highest in western Europe – has failed.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has missed its target to reduce by 10 per cent the number of youngsters in custody between 2005 and 2008, it will announce later this month.

The board had aimed to lower the juvenile prison population in England and Wales from 2,676 in March 2005 to 2,408 by last month, appealing to youth courts to use community sentences instead of custody.

Instead the board has presided over a rise of 8 per cent over the period, with the numbers of youngsters in custody reaching 2,883 by February. Read more
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