Written question asked by Lynne Jones (Labour) on Thursday, 16 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 March 2006. It was answered by Fiona Mactaggart (Labour) on Thursday, 23 March 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Children in Custody

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2006 to question 47527, on children in custody, if he will make it his policy to record the numbers of children held in penal custody who had (a) some form of mental health problem, (b) a history of having been in care, (c) literacy levels below the average for their age, (d) reported experience of violence at home, (e) reported suffering from sexual abuse and (f) not accessed educational provision prior to custody.

Answer: These details are already recorded, for example in the trainee's ASSET form, but are not collated centrally. Individual information is needed in relation to each trainee; but an overall picture can be obtained from research studies based on samples of trainees. Mental health data obtained by this method is included in the Youth Justice Board's 2005 publication Mental health needs and provision”” and data on literacy and school attendance in its 2001 survey An audit of education provision within the juvenile secure estate””. These studies are available on the Board's website (www.youth-justice-board.gov.uk). New research on school attendance is currently in hand. The development of electronic systems within the youth justice system should make it possible to collate a larger amount of information than can readily be done at present.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 60307; 444 c595-6W;444 c595-6W
Session: 2005-06
Related items: Young Offenders
Monday, 9 October 2006
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Young offenders
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk