Being in the cell makes you feel like you’re losing your head. It’s just looking at a blank wall and hearing people shouting again and again. The cell doors getting banged about…. I couldn’t get no sleep…I was cold…After the first couple of hours you feel different. You get angry, it gets worse, you get angry, you go to sleep, you wake up, you get more angry. That’s it.’ (ST, 17 years)
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children in Police Custody has brought together children and young people, police forces, practitioners, volunteers and experts in the field in a year-long inquiry to hear the experiences of children and young people in police custody and to investigate ideas for reform.
Police custody is a harsh and very adult environment. Being detained by the police is often a traumatic experience for a child. Whilst the vast majority of officers are trying to do their best, being locked in a cell for many hours can be extremely distressing for children.
Difficult police custody experiences commonly have severe and lasting negative impacts, magnifying a child’s vulnerabilities and alienating children and their families from the assistance which may be available.
This report aims to provide 5 key recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to make children’s rights a reality in police custody.
Read the accompanying report:
‘Hearing young voices on strip search’
Read more about the Inquiry into achieving the rights of children in police custody
Click below to view more information about the Inquiry including the minutes of the live evidence sessions and the Inquiry Terms of Reference.
This is not an official webpage of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its committees. All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these webpages are those of the group.