Youth court system in ‘chaos’, says children’s commissioner
Vulnerable children in England and Wales waiting months for convictions, appearing without adult support and being wrongly placed in dock, Guardian investigation finds
The youth justice system in England and Wales is “chaotic and dysfunctional” following almost a decade of cuts and court closures, the children’s commissioner has warned, after a Guardian investigation found a system plagued by increasing delays, confusion and poor child protection.
Anne Longfield called for a wholesale review of the youth justice system, saying the youth court was “not a child-friendly environment where you could really help a young person and is not meeting standards that we had hoped”.