More than a quarter of young criminals in Nottinghamshire reoffend within a year
More than a quarter of recently-convicted young criminals in Nottinghamshire reoffended within a year, latest figures show.
It comes as a prison reform charity warned the justice system routinely fails to give young offenders the support they need.
Latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show 360 people aged between 10 and 17 in the Nottinghamshire Police area were convicted of crimes in the 12 months to March 2023.
Within a year of their conviction, 106 (29 per cent) of them had already reoffended.
This was slightly higher than the rate for those convicted in the previous 12 months, when it was 28 per cent.
A decade ago the figure stood at 32 per cent.
The reoffending rate in Nottinghamshire was also lower than the rate across England and Wales as a whole, which was 32 per cent for those convicted in the year to March 2023.
Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said contact with the criminal justice system regularly leads young people towards further offending, rather than rehabilitation.
He said: "While reoffending is concerning, these figures do not come as a surprise.
"If a young child is in trouble or behaving in a concerning way, the priority should be to consider their welfare and understand the reasons why this is happening, and to get them the help and support they need.
"The Howard League has seen through its legal work that prisons holding children fail routinely to reach this standard."
Across England and Wales, 86 per cent of juvenile offenders convicted in the 12 months to March 2023 were male, and 77 per cent of them were aged between 15 and 17.
Collectively, the 106 reoffenders in Nottinghamshire committed 447 offences after their initial convictions.
A Government spokesperson said custody was only ever used as a last resort for children, and having fewer in prison means those who do remain there are potentially more likely to reoffend.
They added: "We need young offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime.
These 2023 figures show that there is still a lot of work to do.
"This Government is increasing access to education.
Through Youth Offending Teams, we are also steering young people away from ever pursuing a life of crime."