Section two The fifth year
an expert meeting on the topic organised by
the Association for the Prevention of Torture
in January 2014.
iii. Children and young people
2013–14 was the second year of operation of
the children and young people’s sub-group of
the UK NPM. The sub-group is now established
as a mechanism for NPM members whose
work includes visiting children in detention to
exchange information and intelligence and
to consider joint work on issues affecting
detained children – notably this year, the UK
government’s plans to build secure colleges in
the youth justice system in England and Wales.
The children and young people’s sub-group led
work on the NPM’s joint response to the MOJ’s
consultation ‘Transforming Youth Custody’ in
April 2013, which proposed the creation of
secure colleges in England and Wales. The
NPM membership set out a series of principles
based on the UN Rules for the Protection
of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (the
Havana Rules) which they believed should
underpin the design and management of any
custodial settings for children. NPM members
advocated a more homely, child-centred
environment in these settings.
The sub-group’s quarterly meetings included
presentations on health in secure settings;
the use of segregation/isolation practices
on children in detention; and police and
immigration detention of children. Future
meetings were planned to focus on the
de facto detention of children, discussing the
differing domestic legal context in relation
to children and the effects of the Supreme
Court’s decision in P (OS) v Cheshire West and
another [2014] UKSC 19; and the HMIC‑led
thematic inspection of the treatment of
vulnerable people in police detention.
An evaluation of the sub-group’s first
year was also carried out in 2014. It was
determined that the sub-group should
continue, as it had proved effective, but it
should have greater delegated authority
to respond on behalf of the whole NPM to
emerging issues relating to the detention
of children. It was also decided that the
sub‑group should take forward work relating
to the strategic priority chosen by the NPM
for each business year.
International scrutiny and
collaboration
i. Meeting with the UN Subcommittee on
Prevention of Torture
On 20 June 2013, representatives from HMI
Prisons and MWCS, on behalf of the UK NPM,
gave a presentation in Geneva to a plenary
meeting of the Subcommittee on Prevention
of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT), on
the work of the NPM. Most NPMs are single
organisations and although some NPMs have
a number of members, the number involved
in the UK NPM far exceeds that of anywhere
else. This brings advantages in terms of
resources and experience but complexity
in terms of coordination. In this respect,
the UK’s multi-member NPM is unique. The
purpose of the meeting was to provide the
SPT and the UK NPM with an opportunity to
consider the strengths and weaknesses of
the UK model, what it could learn from or
teach NPMs elsewhere and the extent to
which the UK NPM is meeting its obligations
under OPCAT. This was the NPM’s first
meeting with the plenary of the SPT since
the UK body was established.
In November 2013, the SPT followed up with
a letter setting out a series of observations,
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