The campaign group “children aren’t criminals”, issued the following statement on the heels of The Barnardos study “Locking up or giving up - is custody for children always the right answer?”

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Stephen Jakobi, the group’s spokesperson said.

These figures are not new, and have been publicised by such major organisations in the field as the Prison Reform Trust, and the Howard League for over a year.  But whilst any publicity on the shocking number of very young children being locked up in England and Wales is to be welcomed, and indeed timely in view of the imminent forthcoming UN report on the practice, it is clear that the practice is the symptom of the major British disease of criminalising the very young.

The disease itself is an age of criminal responsibility, lower than any other comparable society in Europe.  In Spain, Germany, France and Italy the median age is 14. In England and Wales it is 10.

Moreover, it is over 40 years since this problem was examined by any government enquiry. In February, we were informed by the Joint Ministers responsible for Youth Justice that they were that they were gathering evidence about how other jurisdictions deal with young  people who have committed offences and part of that process would include obtaining comments and contributions from all interested parties: indeed we were invited to contribute. We have not been contacted in the eight months that have since passed and a letter of enquiry as to the progress of this  investigation sent in July has received no response.

Perhaps Barnardos will join with us .