More Derry and Strabane children in juvenile centre than any other council area
Derry and Strabane had more children admitted to Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre than any council area in the North last year.
The Woodlands centre in County Down holds young people between the ages of 10 and 17 who have committed offences.
Derry and Strabane had the highest number of admissions to the youth jail with 44 according to official Department of Justice statistics. Belfast was second with 34.
The figures also showed Derry and Strabane had the most children per capita in custody.
The statistics for children in custody counts individual offenders held during the year while admissions includes the number of admissions, counting repeat offenders.
Derry and Strabane had 16 children in custody in 2022/23. This number was second only to Belfast which had 22.
The Derry and Strabane figure represents one per 1,000 of the population aged 10 to 17 in the district. This is nearly twice the national average.
The area had the highest per capita in five of the last six years, with only Belfast having more in 2018/19.
Chair of Policing and Community Safety Partnership Cllr Sandra Duffy, said the statistics were 'concerning'.
“This report is very concerning and will need further examination as to the reasons behind why a disproportionate number of children and young people from this area have been placed in custody," she said.
“As a local councillor and chair of the PCSP I will be raising this at the next meeting to ascertain the extent of local issues that have resulted in these outcomes for our children and young people.
“A prison environment is not always the answer to some of the complex issues that our society is facing, some of these children may be better served with wrap around support and services."
The report also found that Catholic children in the North are four times more likely to end up in custody than Protestant children.
Of the 110 children between 10 and 17 who were held in Woodlands last year 63 were identified as Catholic and 15 as Protestant. The rest were recorded as having no religious affiliation, unknown or other.
The number of Catholic children in custody has been higher, typically significantly higher, every year since the statistics began in 2008/09.
At 10 years old The North's Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility (MACR) is the lowest in Europe.
The DoJ is supportive of increasing the MACR in Northern Ireland to 14. However, any proposed changes to the age limit would be stalled by the collapse of Stormont.
The current MACR is not in line with the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which says the MACR for Member States should be at least 14 and preferably higher.