House of Lords written question – answered at on 21 March 2007.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
On how many occasions since September 2004 independent monitoring boards have raised with the Home Office and the Youth Justice Board their concerns about the arrival late at night of young people being transported to the Huntercombe young offender institution.
The independent monitoring board at YOI Huntercombe has raised concerns to the Home Office and Youth Justice Board on 64 occasions since September 2004.
Yes2 people think so
No1 person thinks not
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Annotations
Adam Hodge
Posted on 5 Apr 2007 12:34 pm (Report this annotation)
It seems, in view of the extraordinary number of times that the Huntercombe IMB have raised the issue, that the Home Office either doesn't give a fig about the problem or are displaying great complacency in dealing with it.
Pauline Campbell
Posted on 5 Apr 2007 7:39 pm (Report this annotation)
My daughter arrived at a Young Offender Institution on a Friday evening, and died the following day, before induction procedures were completed. So the question of late arrivals at Huntercombe Young Offender Institution does matter, and must be addressed, though the figures quoted by Baroness Patricia Scotland (Home Office) appear to indicate that Huntercombe YOI is either unable or unwilling to deal with the concerns about the arrival late at night of young people entrusted to their 'care'.
Prior to the publication of Lord Alex Carlile's report [2006], Huntercombe YOI was visited by the inquiry team, and is referred to in the following report, which is available from The Howard League for Penal Reform:
The Lord Carlile of Berriew QC
An independent inquiry into the use of physical restraint, solitary confinement and forcible strip searching of children in prisons, secure training centres and local authority secure children's homes
Published: 2006
www.howardleague.org
Overall, the jailing of young offenders (some are children, ie aged under 18 years) continues to raise very serious issues, and it is crucial that Ministers stop excusing the human rights abuses that are ongoing in children's jails. Government continues to ignore the fact that jailing young people in ever larger numbers is not the answer to tackling youth crime.
Bereaved mother of Sarah Elizabeth Campbell, 18, who died in the so-called care of HMP & YOI Styal, 18.01.03
http://society.guardian.co.uk/crimeandpunishment/story/0,,18...