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<p>There are times when an offence is so serious that custody is the only option.
However, we are clear that this should be a last resort and the sentence length should
be appropriate and proportionate. That is why we have a range of targeted community
sentences which can be tailored based on the needs of children.</p><p>The government
has worked to provide robust community sentences, and between 2007 to 2017 there has
been a 73% drop in the number of young people sentenced to custody[1]. In 2017, 68%
of all youth sentences were community sentences and only 7% were custodial sentences.</p><p>We
are focusing on tackling the factors that put young people at risk of offending and
are working across government to ensure we respond properly to the needs of vulnerable
young people before they reach the criminal justice system. The number of FTEs into
the Youth Justice System has fallen by 86% over the last 10 years, and by 10% in the
latest year[2].</p><p>For those children that do receive a custodial sentence, it
is important that custody rehabilitates them. We currently have a Youth Justice Reform
Programme which aims to improve standards in custody and puts a focus on health, wellbeing
and education. It also includes expanding the workforce to ensure that children are
supported in custody.</p><p>[1] Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December
2017, published 17<sup>th</sup> May 2018, Sentencing data tool.</p><p>[2] Criminal
Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2017, published 17<sup>th</sup> May
2018, Offending History Data Tool: Sanction statistics</p>
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