The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke, MP
Secretary of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ

21 April 2011

Dear Ken,

I am writing to you on behalf of a constituent who is a supporter of Out of Trouble, the Prison Reform Trust campaign to reduce child and youth imprisonment.

As I am sure you are aware, England and Wales have one of the highest rates of child imprisonment in Europe and routinely imprison under-18s for non-violent offences, despite prison having the worst re-offending rate of all the sentencing options. Last year, 42% of children in prison were there for non-violent offences like theft, criminal damage and breaching community orders. Furthermore, a majority of the public think that the minimum age of imprisonment in England and Wales is currently too low and should be raised to at least 12, and that the minimum age of imprisonment for non-violent crime should be raised to at least 14 years old.

I believe prison should be reserved for the few children who commit serious, violent offences and who pose a real risk to their communities. Instead of locking up thousands of young people, much more should be done to tackle some of the underlying causes of crime, including inequality, poverty and lack of opportunity. I fear that the current cuts to local authority youth and other services, as a result of central Government cuts, will leave a whole generation of young people without the support they so desperately need. This could have a knock on effect for child offending. I therefore urge you to significantly raise the legislative bar to ensure that child imprisonment in England and Wales does not increase further and to use your influence within Government to urge a refocusing on preventative work and, in your Department, on restorative justice.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion

Read the reply from the Ministry of Justice