The Howard League for Penal Reform calls for an end to the use of prison for children

The Howard League for Penal Reform is calling for an end to the use of prison custody for children due to the shocking conditions that many have to endure.

A report published today by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the YJB found that:

• Only 10% of boys at Brinsford get a shower every day
• Nearly half the boys at Huntercombe, Wetherby and Warren Hill prison felt unsafe
• 50% of the boys at Hindley had been restrained by staff
• 75% of the boys in prison cannot go outside every day. At Brinsford and Feltham prison, no boys could go outside
• Only 14% of the boys at Brinsford and 17% of the boys at Castington prison could contact their family by phone every day

Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform said: “It is intolerable that children in prison are being denied even the most basic needs such as a shower, fresh air and exercise and a phonecall to their parents. How can children be expected to learn how to behave when they are treated so appallingly - it is storing up trouble for the future and inevitably the suffering of the children results in suffering to the rest of us when they are released.

We recognise that some prisons have improved, due to increased investment and significant efforts by staff and management. However, the history of child imprisonment shows that these improvements are usually fleeting. In an inevitable cycle, prisons quickly sink back into treatment that amounts to child abuse.”

Notes to editors

There are currently 2,404 boys and 66 girls in prison
The number of boys in prison has increased from 2,067 in January 2006 to 2,404 in December 2006
The report, Young People in Custody 2004-2006: the voice of the child in prison, is published by the Prisons Inspectorate and the Youth Justice Board today.