CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Youth justice is in need of a redesign

Shocking television exposure of aggressive staff behaviour towards children at the Medway Secure Training Centre should have been a watershed moment, but five years on this is still not the case, says Charlotte Ramsden

In many ways recent youth justice policy can be considered a success story, with the dramatic reductions in cautions, convictions and overall contact with the youth justice system over the last decade or so.

However, these headline achievements mask very significant challenges that require urgent attention, and crucially, action, from the over-representation of children with special educational needs and children in care to an alarming growth in racial disparities and rising use of remands.

Popular articles by Charlotte Ramsden

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