How many children and young people are imprisoned?
England and Wales has one of the highest rates of child imprisonment in the world, with between 2,500-3,000 children under the age of 18 in prison at any one time. Children who have been sentenced to custody can be held in one of three places, depending on their age and vulnerability: a secure children’s home, a secure training centre or a young offender’s institution – all of which are prisons in all but name. In Northern Ireland, children sentenced to custody are held in one of two places – either the Juvenile Justice Centre (JJC), for children aged 10-17, or a Young Offenders’ Centre for those aged 17 to 24. On average, there were 27 children imprisoned in the JJC at any one time last year.
