26th February 2010
The harms associated with imprisoning young people are obvious and manifold; from the stigma associated with imprisonment, to the connections forged in prison and the imprint such contact with the system can have.
The concept of intensive fostering, taken up by the UK's Youth Justice Board, aims to provide a viable alternative to custody and a mean of instilling in young offenders the basic boundaries often not imparted in their own family life.
New Philanthropy Capital, in a recent report, praised the work of the programme and criticised local authorities for using youth custody as a form of "respite care". It is to be hoped that innovative concepts such as intensive fostering can be rolled out nationally in a bid to offer more humane solutions for young people, to reduce reoffending and overall levels of imprisonment.
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Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.