Youth Justice Hits Record Lows in Custody, First Entries

The Youth Justice Statistics for England and Wales reveal a mix of promising trends and areas requiring urgent attention.

Key findings include:

• the number of children entering the system for the first time (first-time entrants (FTE)) fell to its lowest level on record (8,300)
• stop and searches of children by the police decreased by 4% (103,100)
• court sentences outnumbered Youth Cautions for the first time - 55% of FTEs received a sentence at court compared with 48% in the previous year - this marks an increasing shift toward diversion and alternative approaches to youth justice
• the numbers of children in custody has fallen by 3% against the previous year and is the lowest number on record (430)
• the average time from offence to court completion rose to 225 days, the highest on record, highlighting an ongoing challenge for the justice system and victims
• while there were encouraging decreases in the numbers and proportions of Black children at various stages in the system, the proportion of Mixed ethnicity children in custody has doubled over the last 10 years
• almost two-thirds (62%) of children remanded to youth detention accommodation did not go on to receive a custodial sentence, this raises significant concerns
• The proven reoffending rate for children increased to 32.5%, a 0.3 percentage point increase on the previous year, while the number of children and the number of children who reoffended both increased for the first time in the last 10 years.
• There were reductions in knife and weapon offences, a fall of 6% compared with the previous year and the sixth consecutive year-on-year decrease.

Positive trends and continued efforts

In addition to the above findings, arrests of children remained stable, even as adult arrests increased by 8%. Despite widespread media coverage and the consequential public perception that children are responsible for a disproportionate amount of criminal activity, arrests of children accounted for just 8% of total arrests.

There were reductions in knife and weapon offences, a fall of 6% compared with the previous year and the sixth consecutive year-on-year decrease. Although 20% higher than 10 years ago, this shows that local efforts to bring down offences involving weapons are having an impact.

Court timeliness

The average time it takes from offence to court completion has not bounced back and is on average 4 days longer than what we saw during the pandemic when there were court closures.

This is very troubling because delays place a significant strain on children and victims who are looking to move forward in their lives and potentially delaying justice and delaying them from accessing the right support at the right time.

We believe that the court system needs major changes. We're working with the Crown Prosecution Service and HM Courts and Tribunals Service to advocate for the Child First framework, which focuses on creating fair and efficient processes for children, cutting down delays, and achieving better results for everyone involved.

Tackling over-representation

There were encouraging improvements in reducing the over-representation of children from Black and Mixed ethnicities. However, we must be clear, any over-representation is unacceptable.

It is of particular concern that the proportion of children with a Mixed ethnicity in custody has doubled over the last decade. This is a stark reminder of the need for systemic reform.

We will continue to build partnerships, promote good practice and provide targeted support in community-based solutions such as through the London Accommodation Pathfinder (the LAP). The LAP prioritises boys of Black or Mixed heritage facing remand to custody and supports them in a more appropriate and effective community setting.

We continue to have significant concerns about the high use of remand, which means that hundreds of children experience the negative effects of custody and then go on to receive a community sentence, or no sentence at all. This creates additional trauma and exposure to criminality for the children, and also leads to unnecessary risk and costs for the general public.

Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, said:

There are many positives within this report. The numbers of stop and searches and children entering the system for the first time fell once again after increasing in the previous year. The numbers of children in custody continued to fall, knife and weapon offences have reduced for the sixth consecutive year, and arrests and youth cautions/sentences have remained stable at a time when adult arrests rose by 8%.

We must continue to build on these trends. The evidence tells us that the best way to prevent prolonged offending is to prevent bringing children into the justice system in the first place. This is the route to positive child outcomes, less crime, fewer victims and safer communities.

I want to express my gratitude to everyone in the youth justice sector for their dedication and hard work. These reductions show that change is possible. Together, we can build on this momentum to ensure better outcomes for all children.