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Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

Volume 494: debated on Monday 15 June 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many acts of (a) restrictive physical intervention and (b) removal from association recorded in respect of those of each (i) sex, (ii) age group and (iii) ethnic group (A) with and (B) without a disability held in each institution in the juvenile secure estate were carried out (1) for purposes of ensuring good order and discipline, (2) to prevent escape from custody, (3) to prevent a child or young person from injuring him or herself or others, (4) to prevent a child or young person from damaging property and (5) to prevent a child or young person from inciting others to break orders, escape, injure themselves or damage property in each month between January 2007 and the latest month for which figures are available. (278457)

Restraint is only ever to be used by staff as a last resort, when all other approaches have either not succeeded or would not be appropriate.

The data provided in the following tables, for the period April 2008 to March 2009, have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and relate to use of restraint in secure training centres. Central collection of information about the reasons for each restraint began in April 2008. Details of the age, sex and ethnic group of the young person restrained were also collected from that point, but it is not possible to provide a further breakdown, by those categories, of the reasons for restraint, as the Youth Justice Board does not receive the data in that format. Statistics relating to young offender institutions and secure children’s homes are not collected in the format requested and obtaining them would require a search through individual records, which could not be carried out without disproportionate cost. The YJB does not collect data on whether or not a young person restrained has a disability, or the requested information about removal from association, and these could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

Use of restraint for the purpose of ensuring good order and discipline

Rainsbrook

Oakhill

Medway

Hassockfield

STC total

April 2008

2

0

2

0

4

May 2008

0

0

0

0

0

June 2008

0

3

0

0

3

July 2008

0

0

1

8

9

August 2008

0

0

0

0

0

September 2008

0

0

0

0

0

October 2008

0

0

0

0

0

November 2008

0

0

0

0

0

December 2008

0

0

0

0

0

January 2009

0

0

0

0

0

February 2009

0

0

0

0

0

March 2009

0

0

0

0

0

Note:

In July 2008, the Court of Appeal ruled that restraint could not be used in secure training centres for the purpose of ensuring good order and discipline (Re C v Secretary of State for Justice (2008) EWCA Civ 882)

Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing escape from custody

Rainsbrook

Oakhill

Medway

Hassockfield

STC total

April 2008

0

0

0

0

0

May2008

0

0

0

0

0

June 2008

0

1

0

0

1

July 2008

0

1

0

0

1

August 2008

0

0

0

0

0

September 2008

0

0

0

0

0

October 2008

0

0

0

0

0

November 2008

0

0

0

0

0

December 2008

0

0

0

0

0

January 2009

0

0

0

0

0

February 2009

0

0

0

0

0

March 2009

0

0

0

0

0

Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing injury

Rainsbrook

Oakhill

Medway

Hassockfield

STC total

April 2008

24

58

24

31

137

May 2008

23

20

21

31

95

June 2008

29

25

33

32

119

July 2008

21

68

39

42

170

August 2008

38

44

25

43

150

September 2008

44

27

30

24

125

October 2008

37

36

34

36

143

November 2008

29

23

20

31

103

December 2008

35

27

24

42

128

January 2009

52

45

12

29

138

February 2009

14

26

40

47

127

March 2009

19

26

61

53

159

Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing damage to property

Rainsbrook

Oakhill

Medway

Hassockfield

STC total

April 2008

1

1

1

4

7

May 2008

1

2

4

7

14

June 2008

1

2

6

4

13

July 2008

0

0

3

4

7

August 2008

0

4

4

7

15

September 2008

0

7

3

16

26

October 2008

1

2

6

6

15

November 2008

0

0

1

3

4

December 2008

2

4

2

6

14

January 2009

0

0

1

4

5

February 2009

0

0

2

15

17

March 2009

1

2

8

18

29

Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing incitement to cause harm or damage property

Rainsbrook

Oakhill

Medway

Hassockfield

STC total

April 2008

0

2

0

0

2

May 2008

0

0

1

0

1

June 2008

0

0

0

0

0

July 2008

0

2

2

0

4

August 2008

0

1

1

0

2

September 2008

0

0

1

0

1

October 2008

0

0

1

0

1

November 2008

0

0

0

0

0

December 2008

0

0

0

0

0

January 2009

0

0

0

0

0

February 2009

0

0

1

0

1

March 2009

0

0

2

0

2