Barnardo's has published a report warning that more children aged between 10 and 14 are being locked up in England and Wales - increasingly for more minor offences - than in any western European country.
The rise has come despite there being no significant increase in serious crime by children over the same period, and has resulted in young people 'being written off' by the age of 12, according to the report Locking up or giving up – is custody for children always the right answer?
According to the report, holding a child in custody for a year can cost as much as £185,780 and is often ineffective - 78% of 10 to 14-year-olds will re-offend within 12 months of being released.