http://www.communitycare.co.uk/articles/article.asp?liarticleid=46889&liSectionID=22&sKeys=&liParentID=26
Treatment of Offenders
Clare Jerrom
The appalling conditions endured by 18-to-20-year-olds in custody have long been deplored by campaigners and the chief inspector of prisons, who describes the group as the “lost generation". Exclusive research carried out for Community Care as part of our 'Back on Track' campaign has found that this group are also bearing the brunt of the population pressures in prisons and are being moved from jail to jail, being forced to spend their usually short sentences in a variety of establishments. Not only is this disruptive and distressing for this vulnerable group, but it has a knock on effect on their education and mental health, and the distance they are held from their home.
In its first term in office, the government focussed heavily on children who offend and injected cash and resources into the juvenile estate. This has resulted in the creation of the Youth Justice Board, the establishment of youth offending teams to work with young people, and a focus on community alternatives to prison. However, this emphasis on the under-18s has only served to highlight the awful conditions the 18-20 year old “young adult offenders”, who are too old to benefit from the Youth Justice Board’s reforms, are subjected to.
