Legal News
Child Offenders Imprisoned Due To Social Care Budget Cuts (18 January 2012)
Date: 18/01/2012
Thousands of child offenders are being left in prison due to cuts to support services’ budgets, a think-tank has revealed. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has cautioned that the justice system is effectively being used for the purposes of parenting children. A report, which utilised input from magistrates, senior police officers and youth justice officials, has called for a significant reduction in the number of children handed custodial sentences, claiming that an excessive number of children are being imprisoned for minor offences. The report’s authors believe that the number of children aged between ten and 17 imprisoned in England and Wales is too high. They added that the numbers should be restricted to only a “critical few” who have been found to be guilty of committing crimes of a serious nature and who pose a severe threat to the public.
Gavin Poole, the CSJ’s executive director, claimed that society could do better than condemning young children for petty crimes. He added that he believed there were more ways that are effective in which to deliver justice. Mr. Poole stated that many youngsters fell into the system unnecessarily and failed to receive the support they required to free themselves from a life of crime. Mr. Poole is certain that a new approach is necessary to transform the lives of young offenders. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, meanwhile, has told of how a wide range of techniques was being used to tackle child offenders.
The childcare law department at Duncan Lewis can safeguard the rights of children. The team of criminal law solicitors can address the parents’ concerns over their children’s imprisonment.