Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

More than half of boys in young offender institutions are from ethnic background

MORE than half of young boys in custody are from an ethnic background, it was revealed on Tuesday (29).

Figures from the Inspectorate of Prisons’ annual report show that 51 per cent of teenage boys in youth jails across England and Wales are of black or minority ethnic heritage.


The proportion is the highest record since figures were monitored in 2001; the figure was 48 per cent in 2017-18.

Findings showed that the experiences of those from a minority background to their white peers in custody was significantly different in various areas, including treatment from staff.

Those from an ethnic background were less likely to be asked about their welfare by staff, have access to a chaplain and helplines or feel that complaints were sorted out fairly and promptly.

Researchers also found that the proportion of ethnic males varied depending on the establishment, from one in five (21 per cent) at the Keppel Unit in West Yorkshire, to nearly three quarters (71 per cent) at Feltham, in Hounslow, south-west London.

The new details come after the 2017 report by Labour MP David Lammy which highlighted the disproportionate amount of ethnic minority young people offending for the first time, reoffending and in youth custody.

Among his findings were that the BAME proportion of young people offending for the first time rose from 11 per cent in 2006 to 19 per cent a decade later.

In response to the latest statistics, Lammy said he hoped it acted as a “wake-up call”.

“After years of cuts and austerity, we need to start funding youth services in urban communities properly so that fewer end up in custody,” the Tottenham MP said.

He expressed shock at the figures, referring to them as “alarming”.

Lammy added: “England and Wales are now hitting an American scale of disproportionality in our youth justice system. The government urgently needs to step up implementation of my review.

Frances Crook, the chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, also stated the disproportionality was “disturbing”.

The assessment covered the experiences of boys in five male youth offender institutes.

It also flagged up concerns that too many youngsters feel unsafe while in custody, saying signs of development had yet to translate into a significant shift in children’s observations of their treatment and environment.

In response to the report, the Ministry of Justice promised that youth justice was being reformed to focus on rehabilitation.

It added: “We recognise there is still more to do, including tackling disproportionality in the justice system, and a dedicated team is addressing this issue head on.”

More For You

Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Polls show most Britons back assisted dying, with supporters calling for the law to reflect public opinion.

Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Eastern Eye

THE proposed new assisted dying law for terminally ill people will be amended to remove the requirement that a high court judge sign off on each case, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said on Tuesday (11).

Opponents of assisted dying said the change would weaken the safeguards around protecting vulnerable people from being coerced or pressured into taking their own lives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Malkinson

Malkinson, 59, has been struggling financially since his release and has been on universal credit for 19 months. (Photo: X/@NotThatBigIan)

Wrongful rape conviction: Andrew Malkinson to get 'significant' compensation

ANDREW MALKINSON, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, will receive a six-figure interim compensation payment from the Ministry of Justice.

The payment comes more than a year after his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal in July 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
IMF team visits Pakistan to assess governance and corruption reforms

The assessment will shape structural reforms and examine protections for property rights and foreign investments

IMF team visits Pakistan to assess governance and corruption reforms

Eastern Eye

A TECHNICAL team from the International Monetary Fund met Pakistan’s chief justice Yahya Afridi on Tuesday (11) to conduct a Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment under the 2024 Extended Fund Facility programme.

The IMF team is in the country for a week-long trip to scrutinise the judicial and regulatory framework tackling governance and corruption as part of a £5.6 billion loan agreed last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Channel 4 reality show criticised for recreating refugee journeys

A poster of the show

Channel 4 reality show criticised for recreating refugee journeys

Eastern Eye

BRITAIN’S newest reality TV show has been slammed as “insensitive”, “voyeuristic” and even “nauseating” for recreating with six Britons the often fatal journeys made by thousands of refugees to the UK.

Titled Go Back to Where You Came From, the part-documentary, part-reality TV show by Channel 4 follows the group of six, who hold strong views both for and against immigration.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)

Modi looks to rebuild ties with Trump on US visit

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi will visit the United States this week, aiming to reconnect with president Donald Trump as he moves to smooth trade ties by offering quick tariff concessions.

Modi, who had cultivated a close relationship with Trump during his first term, is looking to avoid trade tensions with the second-term president.

Keep ReadingShow less