The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has expressed concern at the level of mental health support on offer to young offenders.
As a part of an inquiry which was assessing mental health services and secure care places for CYP in Scotland, the committee received evidence which showed that over 60% of those who had offended had significant communication needs, and many had self-harmed or attempted suicide. Despite this, there was a lack of consistent child and adolescent mental health support available, particularly in secure care units outside of Glasgow.
As a result of their findings, the committee are calling on the Scottish Government to ensure that an assessment takes place within the first few days of a young person’s incarceration, with continual high-quality mental health support to be provided afterwards.
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