Out of Trouble responds to Justice Committee on youth justice

Out of Trouble has submitted further evidence to the Justice Select Committee's ongoing inquiry into youth justice, in a bid to raise awareness of the increasing use of adult-orientated interventions with children, and of the needs of vulnerable groups in the youth justice system, especially looked after children, and those with complex support needs.

To read more about the inquiry and its terms of reference, click here.

Inspectors find high use of force and strip-searching at Ashfield YOI

In response to the Chief Inspector’s report on HMYOI Ashfield, the Prison Reform Trust called on the Ministry of Justice to end the routine strip-searching of children in custody. According to government figures, one in four boys in custody has experienced violence at home and one in twenty has been sexually abused.

Prison schooling young men and women in crime

Locking up impressionable young men and women in adult jails with nothing to do risks creating a disaffected generation more likely to turn to crime, according to a new report by the Prison Reform Trust.

Are police stations failing to safeguard children?

Commenting on the publication of Who’s looking out for children – a joint inspection of Appropriate Adult provision and children in detention after charge, Out of Trouble director Penelope Gibbs said:

Is care a stepping stone to custody?

“What I’ve heard from different police officers when I’ve been arrested, it’s like, ‘you’re a kid in care, you’re never [going to] get out of this way of life. You’re in care, kids in care are always on drugs, kids in care always make themselves unsafe, kids in care always self-harm’. So they sort of put a title on kids in care like they’re something bad.” 16 year old girl with a conviction