Teenagers in prison being punished for self-harming

TEENAGERS are being formally punished in jails for self-harming, according to an inquiry that has branded prison discipline unjust, arbitrary and discriminatory against the young.

The investigation by the Howard League for Penal Reform uncovered cases where teenagers received fines or loss of privileges for failing to stop selfharming.

David, an 18-year-old with complex mental health problems and a long history of self-injury, was fined £48 after using a broken piece of furniture to selfharm. He was charged with damaging prison property, even though rules state there should be no disciplinary action where damage is due to self-harming.

He successfully appealed the fine, but in another case, Josh, 19, refused to obey an officer’s order to stop selfharming. He received 21 days’ loss of privileges and his appeal was refused.

According to the Howard League, teenagers and young people in jail are 14 times more likely to receive fines, extra days in jail and loss of privileges than the average. The data showed that young adults aged 18 to 20 received 14 per cent of the additional 337,000 days of imprisonment imposed in 2019, despite making up about 1 per cent of the prison population.

Frances Crook, the Howard League’s chief executive, said: “Rather than solving problems, the current system creates new ones. Procedurally unjust and unduly punitive, it succeeds only in driving a pervasive sense of injustice that undermines trust and engagement and leads to more conflict.”

It is calling for prisons to follow Scotland and scrap additional days as a punishment.