Young black boys are almost three times as likely to enter the youth justice system than their peers, a damning report reveals.
While the number of children in youth custody across all ethnicities fell by 73% from 2010-11 to 2020-21, the proportion from ethnic minority backgrounds increased from 32% to 53%.
Black boys aged 10-17 are 2.8 times more likely to enter the youth justice system (YJS) than would be expected given the proportion of black children this age in the population.
And the number of mixed heritage children in the YJS has doubled since 2010.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the government had a “lack [of] curiosity about the over-representation of children from ethnic minority backgrounds in youth custody and still appear[ed] to have no plan to address the situation”.
It found the Home Office and Ministry of Justice “could not fully explain these disparities”.
However the MoJ acknowledged that interventions such as the police’s use of stop and search and decisions about whether to remand someone in custody ahead of their trial “may be contributing to disparities”.
The department claimed it was “difficult to guarantee success” in addressing the issue because of the “complexity of the issues causing disproportionality and the need for action across many different policy areas”.
The group of MPs accused officials as having a "puzzling reluctance" to provide leadership or strategy.
They added that “the risk is that the buck gets passed” between departments with nobody taking responsibility.
The committee has recommended the MoJ and Home Office report back within six months about what action they will take to understand why ethnic minority children make up more than half of all children in custody.
The PAC also pointed out the cost of "seriously adverse, avoidable outcomes" including physical or mental harm, contact with the criminal justice system and periods of not being at school.
It said the lifetime cost of not dealing with these issues was £23billion per year for all children who have ever needed a social worker.
They said this figure will continue to grow if the Government fails to tackle the root of the issues.
Dame Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, said: “Young people from ethnic minority backgrounds are grossly overrepresented in the youth justice system, a problem that’s been obvious and growing for a decade, but there’s no sign of action or even special attention to the issue.
“It’s hard to escape the feeling that our young people, especially the ones who were already vulnerable and at risk, are being treated as an afterthought.
“Too often they fall through the cracks of different services and are left to fend for themselves. “The financial cost of these failures is already a bank-breaking £23billion a year.
“Is the Government prepared to fund what that will grow to, when the problems it’s failing to tackle now come home to roost?"
A government spokeswoman said: “We are working urgently across government and with local authorities to ensure that all vulnerable children, no matter their age or circumstances, are kept safe and receive the support they need.
“We are investing millions in youth justice services, including in projects across the country to intervene much earlier in young people’s lives, protecting those most at risk of exploitation or violence, and are providing an additional £2.3 billion per year to mental health services by 2024, which will reach up to 345,000 more children and young people.”
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