Damage, Harm and Death in Child Prisons in England and Wales: Questions of Abuse and Accountability

The United Nations is currently undertaking a major international study of violence against children. This article is framed within the conceptual context of the UN study; it explores the violence intrinsic to key aspects of youth justice policy and practice in England and Wales and, more particularly, the damage, harm and death of child prisoners. The article advances an argument that the treatment and conditions endured by child prisoners within the specific jurisdiction is tantamount to institutional child abuse. This raises key questions of responsibility and accountability, questions that successive governments have thus far sought to evade.