THE children’s commissioner for England has called all young offender institutions in England to be closed.

Dame Rachel de Souza said that they are effectively being used as “waiting rooms” to unnecessarily lock children up before trials or sentencing hearings due to failing services.

“We have left a vacuum in the services that children need,” she was expected to say at the annual Longford Lecture last night.

“Childhood is short and wild and precious. But once you’re remanded into custody your innocence is gone.”

A report by the commissioner today found that in 2023-24, 62 per cent of all children remanded to custody in England and Wales did not receive a custodial sentence, and 17 per cent had their case dismissed altogether.

The Ministry of Justice said: “Custody should be a last resort for children, reserved for those who have committed serious crimes or pose a risk to the public.”