Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

(asked on 7th March 2019) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a record is kept of restraint for good order and discipline during detained children’s escort to and from (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 15th March 2019

We do not hold or collect specific data on whether restraint was used for good order and discipline on detained children during escort to and from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs).

Prior to July 2016, data in relation to the reasons for the use of restraint during escorts to and from Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children Homes (SCHs) was not collected. Data that is held and which has been collected since then is not broken down between STCs and SCHs and there have been no recorded incidents after this period.

The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Every incident of restraint is reviewed individually by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) staff, this includes the review of any incident forms and in-vehicle CCTV footage to consider whether any lessons can be learned for the future.

In addition, Charlie Taylor has been asked to review the Department’s policy on the use of pain-inducing techniques in the restraint of young people in the secure estate, including when they are under escort, to ensure that our approach remains appropriate for the youth estate and in line with the latest research. He is due to report back to Ministers with his findings in Summer.

Reticulating Splines