More than half of children in custody England and Wales are from ethnic minority groups - and nearly all of them are boys - an official report has found.
And the data shows that the proportion of incarcerated children who come from ethnic minority backgrounds has soared over the past decade. In the year ending March 2021, 53% of children in custody were from ethnic minority groups, compared to 32% in the year ending March 2011.
The report by the National Audit Office also found that the proportion of black children in custody increased from 18% to 29% during the same period. And it noted that around one-third of children in custody report a known mental health disorder
