Bishops Alarmed by Heavy-Handling in Youth Prisons

Bishops highlighted the conditions of Britain's child prisons in the House of Lords last week, following the coroner's report into the death of a 15-year-old who died whilst being restrained in a youth jail, The Church of England Newspaper has reported.

The bishops told the Lords that shocking stories of heavy-handling in the Lord Carlile's report needed to be urgently addressed.

The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham James, said he was alarmed at the number of incidents reported in child jails. He said, "I can understand the need for physical restraint when young people are likely to harm themselves or others, or to damage property, or are at risk of absconding.

"However, as the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, amply demonstrated, the number of incidents compared with the number in our secure training centres is deeply worrying: ten incidents a year for every young person in a security training centre."

He called for a "fuller" inquiry, adding his hope that it would be "the last into that aspect of our youth justice system", the newspaper reported.

"I add my voice to that of the noble Lord in pleading that this may be the very last inquiry but that it is one that considerably amends the so-called amended regulation."

The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Rev Peter Selby, later contributed by saying: "First, I reassure the Minister and the noble Lord, Lord Warner, that this is not a debate between people who think that looking after disturbed young people is easy and those who think it difficult."

The issue of restraining youths in child jails was previously raised at this year's General Synod by the Children's Commissioner, Sir Al Aynsley-Green.