Report that presents analysis and evaluation of some of the factors that have led to the fall in the number of children under the age of 18 who are imprisoned in England and Wales. The figure has dropped from around 3,000 in the first half of 2008 to around 2,000 in the first four months of 2011.
The report has been undertaken through an analysis of published statistics from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board and local statistics collected by a number of youth offending teams. The statistical analysis has been supplemented by interviews with stakeholders in the youth justice system.