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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue

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Results for juvenile detention (u.k)

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Author: Youth Justice Board for England and Wales

Title: Review of Full Searches in the Secure Estate for Children and Young People

Summary: The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB), as commissioner of secure accommodation for children and young people, takes as its starting point that the use of full searches should be kept to the minimum required to ensure the safety of young people and staff. The YJB, furthermore, considers this issue in relation to the rights of children and young people, and the balance that needs to be struck between those rights and the absolute requirement to ensure the safety and wellbeing of young people and staff in secure establishments. This review outlines the current use and purpose of full searches in the secure estate for children and young people. It provides an overview of the legislative and policy context, both centrally and at establishment level, and details monitoring arrangements in these areas. In addition, the review highlights examples of emerging good practice. Twelve establishments were visited, and interviews with key members of staff, including governing governors, directors and safeguarding managers, were conducted. The views of young people were also sought and analysed. A detailed methodological overview is provided at the end of this report. The review did not consider the young women’s young offender institution (YOI) estate, as this would complement work already conducted as a result of the publication of The Corston Report. In conducting this review, the YJB is fulfilling obligations made in response to previous reviews into this area of practice. This will include assessing the implications of the findings on existing contracts and monitoring arrangements. Findings from this review form part of YJB-led work that has followed the publication of the Carlile Inquiry and the YJB’s Review of Safeguarding in the Secure Estate for Children and Young People. When reviewing this area of operational practice in the secure estate for children and young people, the different legal, statutory and cultural contexts characterising each sector needed to be taken into account. An overview of the legislative contexts governing full searches is provided in Annex 1 of this document. The reviewers found that full-searching practice was consistent across all sectors and underpinned by clear guidelines. These guidelines ensure that young people are at no time fully undressed, and that they are searched by staff of the same sex. However, the location where a full search is carried out varies. Inevitably, the quality of reception areas and procedures varied between sectors and establishments. While full-searching practice was fairly similar across the estate, levels of full searches conducted varied significantly. The main factor determining the number of full searches conducted was the relative number of the remand population. Other factors included the number of young people on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) or mobility. YOIs routinely carried out full searches beyond the extent required by the rules for the sector. In principle, the YJB believes that full searches should only be used following an assessment of risk. This principle should be the starting point for practice in all secure units. Only in circumstances where this risk-led approach can be shown to be unable to ensure the safety of young people and staff should routine fullsearching take place. In secure children’s homes, it is not envisaged that any routine full-searching should be necessary, due to their ability to supervise individual young people closely. In larger establishments, such as some secure training centres (STCs) and YOIs, it may be necessary to routinely full search young people on first reception into the establishment, if the numbers of young people being received is high, and subsequent pressures on the service adversely affect the ability to ensure the safety of young people and staff. Secure establishments should be able to justify a decision to routinely full search on reception, and should strive to achieve a position where it is minimised. It is considered that all other full searches – such as on return from ROTL/mobility, on transfer or discharge – as well as full searches following room searches or visits – should be based on prior risk-assessment. In very exceptional circumstances, force is used to full search a young person. While these incidents are very rare, differences in recording and reporting processes remain both at establishment level, as well as centrally. The recording of full searches is highlighted as an area in need of improvement to ensure young people are adequately safeguarded and that the use of force is kept to a minimum.

Details: London: Youth Justice Board, 2011. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2011 at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/guidance/youth-justice/improving-practice/Review-of-Full-Searches-in-the-Secure-Estate-forChildren-and-Young-People.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/guidance/youth-justice/improving-practice/Review-of-Full-Searches-in-the-Secure-Estate-forChildren-and-Young-People.pdf

Shelf Number: 121883

Keywords:
Juvenile Corrections
Juvenile Detention (U.K)
Juvenile Inmates