NCJ Number
134752
Date Published
1991
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Local authority secure accommodation is used for children and young people aged 10 through 18 years who are in the care of local authorities in England and whose behavior is considered to represent a danger to themselves or others.
Abstract
Secure units are also used for some young people who are in care on remand awaiting a court hearing. In addition, some secure units accommodate young people who have been convicted of serious offenses and are sentenced under Section 53 of the 1933 Children and Young Persons Act. Most secure accommodation is the responsibility of local social service departments. Secure accommodation is also available at two youth treatment centers operated by the Department of Health which offer about 70 specialized places not readily available elsewhere in the child care system. Secure accommodation is not part of the prison system. Local authority secure units have relatively high levels of physical security. Many have perimeter walls, and all have locked external doors and windows designed to prevent entry or exit. There is often restriction on movement within the units, and access to the open air is restricted in many cases. The size of units varies from 2-place units up to 36-bed establishments. Most units, however, are fairly small with 23 establishments having less than 8 beds. As of March 31, 1989, 43 local authority secure units were open. A total of 1,417 young people (819 boys and 598 girls) were admitted to local authority secure units during the year ending March 31, 1989. Of these youth, 17 percent had originally been received into care without a court order, 28 percent were subject to a care order, 14 percent had received care orders because of offending, 25 percent were remanded to care while criminal proceedings were in process, 12 percent were in care on a number of other grounds, and 3 percent were in care but were detained under the 1933 Children Act. Most placements were relatively short in duration. Criteria for placement in secure accommodation are examined along with the use of secure accommodation for particular groups, alternatives to secure accommodation, and future plans for secure accommodation. An appendix provides data on the number and rate of admissions to secure accommodation during the year ending March 31, 1989. 4 references, 1 table, and 3 figures