Children in custody 2025–26
An analysis of 12–18-year-olds’ perceptions of their experiences in secure training centres and young offender institutions.
What we found (Back to top)
HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ latest review of survey responses from children in custody has found that standards across the youth estate remain generally poor, with violence continuing to blight children’s lives, too many spending long periods locked in their cells and inadequate education provision.
Children at every establishment apart from Parc YOI and Oakhill STC continued to spend far too much time behind their doors, with boys at Feltham and Werrington unlocked for less than four hours a day on average. Education provision was inadequate at every YOI apart from Parc, and across the estate, 16% of children said they were not participating in any education, work or offending behaviour interventions.
Violence remained a regular feature of daily life. Thirty-nine per cent of children said they had felt unsafe at some point during their time in custody and 14% said they felt unsafe at the time of the survey. Children described an unpredictable environment in which fights, group assaults and the carrying of weapons were common. Many said staff did not do enough to keep them safe and only 26% said they would report bullying or victimisation by other young people.
These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request an accessible format
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of any of these documents in a more accessible format, please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.