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<p>Young people who begin their sentences in the youth custodial estate, because they
are under 18 at the time of sentencing, do not automatically transfer to the adult
estate on reaching their eighteenth birthday. As of June 2023, 148 young people aged
18 <del class="ministerial">and over</del> were being accommodated in young offender
institutions.</p><p>Custody should always be a last resort for children. We have made
great strides to reduce the numbers of children in the youth justice system. The most
recent publication of Youth Justice Statistics showed the 20/21 population fell by
19% compared to the previous year and was 77% lower than the population for the year
ending March 2012.</p>
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