Jenny Chapman MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Minister, responding to the Children’s Commissioners’ report “Unlocking Potential”, said:

“This report paints a disturbing picture of under-staffed Young Offenders Institutes using isolation as a means of imposing order in densely populated units. And it is deeply worrying that children from a black or mixed-heritage background, children with disabilities, and those under the care of local authorities are particularly likely to experience isolation.

“Young offenders spending all days in their cells or being segregated without access to education or purposeful activity is unlikely to lead to rehabilitation.

“The Commissioner is right to say that smaller establishments are more effective at reducing re-offending among young offenders – that’s why Labour opposed the Government’s plans for a modern day Borstal.

“Ministers should urgently focus on tackling the overcrowded conditions in our prisons that hinder rehabilitation and on developing a single definition of isolation for use across the estate.”

Ends