We have put together a round-up of all the latest news, weather, and travel information for Thursday, April 28, to prepare you for the day as the Government expects the number of children in custody in England and Wales to more than double by September 2024, according to a new report.
A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) finds that while the average number of children in custody fell by 73% between 2010-11 and 2020-21, court recovery from the pandemic – alongside the impact of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, and Government plans to recruit extra police officers – will drive up the number of young people in custody.
It is expected that the number of children aged 15 to 17 in young offender institutions will double, from 343 in July 2021 to 700 in July 2025, the report said. This would be similar to pre-pandemic levels (737 children were in custody in March 2019/20), but significantly lower than a decade ago – in 2010/11, 2,027 children were in custody in March.
