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Audit of Education Provision Within the Juvenile Secure Estate

NCJ Number
212515
Date Published
November 2001
Length
216 pages
Annotation
This report presents the findings of an audit into education and training provision within the under-18 juvenile detention population in England and Wales.
Abstract
Main goals of the audit were to establish baseline information for the purpose of strategic planning and to ensure consistency of service delivery across the three sectors comprising the newly unfired juvenile detention estate. This report presents findings from the first phase of the three-phased research project: the audit into the education and training provision to the juvenile detention population. The audit examined three key areas of activity within juvenile detention: (1) service delivery context; (2) assessment, planning, and review; and (3) teaching and learning. The evaluation focused on the qualifications gained by youthful offenders while in custody; average time spent in education or training per week; improvements in literacy and numeracy skills; and proportion of total education time spent on literacy and numeracy work. The research focused on Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) because they make up 85 percent of custodial places. Overall findings indicated that there have been deleterious outcomes associated with the Detention and Training Order (DTO), which effectively shortens the detention sentences of young offenders, destabilizing programs across the entire YOI. There is a need to re-focus the YOI from an establishment primarily focused on securing young offenders to an establishment that emphasizes learning and reintegrating juvenile offenders into education and training in their communities. Other problems included the lack of a clear model or rationale for the curriculum, lack of appropriate learning facilities, and lack of special education. Recommendations are offered that focus on the leadership of the Youth Justice Board, human resources strategies, teaching and learning, and individual support, such as the introduction of a personal tutorial system. Following the main findings, a review is offered of the relationship between school truancy and youth offending. Figures, tables, footnotes, and references