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Thursday, 1 September 2011
APPG inquiry into girls and the penal system
APPG inquiry into girls and the penal system
Platform 51 has submitted evidence to the APPG inquiry into girls and the penal system.
Girls in the youth justice system are at much greater risk, have a higher level of need, and have different offending patterns to boys.
They are much more likely to have witnessed domestic violence, had parents with substance misuse problems, to have been in care, and to have self-harmed or attempted suicide.
To ensure the system does not disadvantage or discriminate against girls, a gendered approach to youth justice must be taken. Gender specific services, such as those provided by Platform 51, have a unique role to play in addressing the needs of girls in the penal system, however provision is patchy and often unsustainable and more needs to be done to address this as a matter of urgency.
