More than 70 per cent of young offenders reoffend
Half of the 15 to 17-year-olds in custody have the literacy levels of a seven to 11-year-old, with most of them having been excluded from school at some point.
- The average cost of a youth custodial place is £100,000 a year
- Over 70 per cent of young offenders who leave custody reoffend within a year, compared to just under 50 per cent of adults leaving custody
- In the 12 months to June 2012, more than 3,500 of all young offenders sentenced received a custodial sentence
- In 2012/13 the Youth Justice Board expects to spend approximately nearly £250 million on the detention of young offenders
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