ABSTRACT
At the end of August 2006 the number of under 21-year-old prisoners in England and Wales – either sentenced or remanded – stood at 11,672, 2,528 of whom were children (‘juveniles’). Over the last ten years or more, the number of children and young people entering penal custody in England and Wales has increased very significantly. Approximately 85 per cent of ‘juvenile’ prisoners – the remaining 15 per cent being held in secure training centres and secure children’s homes (secure accommodation) – and all ‘young adult’ prisoners are held in young offender institutions (YOIs). Although there are specific ‘prison rules’ governing these establishments, the regimes and conditions bear many similarities to those found in adult prisons.
