All children under the age of 18 have been removed from young offenders institutions in Scotland and relocated to more appropriate facilities. The move comes following the suicides of two young people, William Brown and Jonathan Beadle, at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in recent years. It also follows the introduction of a new law in Scotland that prohibits the sending of children to prison.
As recently as July, there were nine 16 and 17-year olds being held in the Polmont facility, but the final child was moved to a secure children’s care unit on Friday. Fiona Dyer, director of the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice, praised Scotland’s child-centred approach to rehabilitation, adding that young people with difficult backgrounds should not be placed in prison environments that are “detrimental” and “traumatising”.
Scotland’s Minister for Children and Young People, Natalie Don-Innes, said the new law would “ensure children in conflict with the law are placed in safe suitable accommodation which will ensure their wellbeing and rehabilitation is at the heart of their care, while also keeping communities safe.”
Campaigners hope the decision will lead to better outcomes for young people in Scotland and praised the move as a necessary step towards a more humane rehabilitation process. The change will free up 70 places in the Scottish prison system
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