*/
The use of physical restraint against children in custody has more than doubled over the last five years, a damning report has revealed.
This has happened, despite the number of children behind bars falling over the last 10 years from nearly 3,000 to fewer than 1,000, according to the report from the Howard League for Penal Reform.
It comes 10 years after the Howard League published the Carlile Inquiry following the deaths in custody of two teenagers, which recommended that restraint should never be used ‘to secure obedience or compliance’.
The report, The Carlile Inquiry 10 Years On, found that between 2011 and 2015, 4,350 injuries had been sustained by children subject to restraint and a fifth of incidents involved the ‘head-hold’ technique.
It also showed the ‘widespread practice’ of holding children in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and the fact that 367 boys had been strip-searched in 2015.
Chief executive of the Howard League, Frances Crook, said: ‘There is much to celebrate in the story of children in conflict with the law because the numbers are significantly reduced, but still children in custody are mistreated, abused, and suffer a punishing regime.’
Carlile called on the Ministry of Justice to do more to implement his previous recommendations.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said such techniques should be a ‘last resort,’ and added: ‘We are clear that if restraint is absolutely necessary, it must be used within the parameters of the law, and comply with strict safeguards.’
The use of physical restraint against children in custody has more than doubled over the last five years, a damning report has revealed.
This has happened, despite the number of children behind bars falling over the last 10 years from nearly 3,000 to fewer than 1,000, according to the report from the Howard League for Penal Reform.
It comes 10 years after the Howard League published the Carlile Inquiry following the deaths in custody of two teenagers, which recommended that restraint should never be used ‘to secure obedience or compliance’.
The report, The Carlile Inquiry 10 Years On, found that between 2011 and 2015, 4,350 injuries had been sustained by children subject to restraint and a fifth of incidents involved the ‘head-hold’ technique.
It also showed the ‘widespread practice’ of holding children in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and the fact that 367 boys had been strip-searched in 2015.
Chief executive of the Howard League, Frances Crook, said: ‘There is much to celebrate in the story of children in conflict with the law because the numbers are significantly reduced, but still children in custody are mistreated, abused, and suffer a punishing regime.’
Carlile called on the Ministry of Justice to do more to implement his previous recommendations.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said such techniques should be a ‘last resort,’ and added: ‘We are clear that if restraint is absolutely necessary, it must be used within the parameters of the law, and comply with strict safeguards.’
The age of criminal responsibility, extreme weather and conflict resolution – plus, new protocol for reporting bullying at the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
