Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Annual Report and Accounts 2019–20, published on 24 September 2020, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the one-year proven reoffending rate for children and young people leaving custody.

The number of children leaving custody is relatively small, so some volatility in the annual reoffending rate is to be expected. Although the 2017/18 rate was slightly higher than the previous year, it is still in line with the average for the last decade. The government has committed to trialling secure schools as a new innovative approach to helping children move away from crime and lead productive lives.