National Preventive Mechanism Eighth Annual Report 2016–17 children from these backgrounds detained in youth custody was 41.5%, steadily rising from 29.7% for the year ending March 2011.17 In addition, there is clear evidence that the children who are imprisoned are increasingly vulnerable. Between 2011 and 2016, the number of incidents of self-harm per 100 children detained in England and Wales rose from 4.1 to 8.9.18 Two children were reported to have died in secure children’s homes (SCH) in the early months of 2017. Both deaths are under investigation by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman and will be subject to an inquest.19 The NPM understands that this is the first death of any child in a SCH for over a decade, but there is no regular published data to confirm this. It is of particular concern that in February 2017 HMI Prisons concluded that no establishment that it inspected in England and Wales was safe to hold children. The physical conditions of secure training centres (STC) had deteriorated and safety was judged as ‘requiring improvement’ at two centres.21 Safety at a third centre, Medway STC, which has been the subject of ongoing concerns (as highlighted in last year’s NPM annual report), was inspected twice throughout the period and safety was judged to be inadequate on both occasions.22 Of the four young offender institutions (YOI) inspected throughout the year by HMI Prisons, Ofsted and the CQC, only the two smallest establishments were judged to be reasonably safe. Data shows that the use of ‘restrictive physical interventions’ increased from 20.5 per 100 children for the year ending March 2011, to 27.8 for the year ending March 2016, as did the number of assaults (on children, staff or visitors), from 9.7 to 18.9 per 100 children.20 17. Ministry of Justice, 2017, Youth Justice Statistics 2015/16: Supplementary Tables, Table 7.9, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-statistics-2015-to-2016 [accessed 09/10/2017]. 18. Ministry of Justice, 2017, Youth Justice Statistics 2015/16, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/585897/youth-justice-statistics-2015-2016.pdf [accessed 22/08/17]. 19. The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, 2017, Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17, p.7, https://www.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630201/YJB_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2016-17_Web. pdf [accessed 09/11/17]. 20. Ministry of Justice, 2017, Youth Justice Statistics 2015/16 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/585897/youth-justice-statistics-2015-2016.pdf [accessed 22/08/17]. 21. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, 2017, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales Annual Report 2016–17, https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/07/HMIP-AR_2016-17_ CONTENT_11-07-17-WEB.pdf [accessed 22/08/17]. 22. The complete inspection reports can be found on the Ofsted website, https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/secure-trainingcentres/medway [accessed 22/08/17]. 16