Co Down juvenile centre "envy" of UK but questions over rise in number of Catholic children being sent there
Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice Inspectorate report into Woodlands
The Chief Inspector of the Criminal Justice Inspectorate in Northern Ireland says more research is needed to explain a 20% rise in the number of Catholic boys being sent to a juvenile detention centre in Co Down.
Brendan McGuigan believes the fact that intake figures at Woodlands which are mirroring the adult justice system needs to be investigated.
It follows an inspection at the Bangor-based Juvenile Justice Centre.
Overall, this concluded that there was considerable improvement over the last decade and it praised effective management with a significant childcare ethos.
However, Mr McGuigan expressed concern at the high proportion of Catholic boys inside and said it was still being used when no alternative accommodation was available for children with complex
The watchdog said that represented "inappropriate'' use of premises which costs around #8 million per year.
Mr McGuigan said: "The JJC is without doubt, the jewel in the crown for the Youth Justice Agency (YJA) and Department of Justice (DoJ) and is a centre which is the envy of neighbouring jurisdictions.
"It is a facility which has made steady progress despite funding and staffing reductions which have occurred.''
But he added: “While the JJC does not have control over the children who are sent there, it was concerning that 76% of children admitted to the centre in 2016-17 were from a Catholic background - an increase of 19% compared to the figures in 2013-14.''
Youth Justice Agency chief executive Declan McGeown said it was hard to pinpoint why that was the case.
“We are in receiving mode but when we get them they are treated fairly and equitably," he added.'
Woodlands is designated by law as a place of safety for young people, and its officials said it was better than leaving a child in a police custody cell all weekend.
Inspectors recommended that civil servants across departments should work together to create closer alignment between the JJC and the neighbouring Lakewood Secure Care Centre for children.
Mr McGuigan added greater alignment could lead to further improvements in the care provided to the children and create an opportunity to share costs and secure better value for money as there are significant similarities between the two facilities in population, staffing levels and high costs.
He said management had introduced arrangements for effective healthcare since it was unable to transfer provision to a trust, resulting in considerable improvement but did not offer a long-term solution.