Locked in - locked out : the experience of young offenders out of society and in prison

We lock up more young people than any other country in Europe but do we know what happens when they are put into custody?

What is the impact on them of a prison regime? Can it be a constructive, rehabilitative experience or does the culture of prison make this possible?

Is being removed from home and community inevitably destructive of can it give some youngsters a chance to sort out chaotic lives?

Can prison be the place to address the severe problems of physical and sexual abuse, violence, disadvantage, failure, and self-loathing that so many who end up inside suffer? Or is locking them up the ultimate failure of a society that cannot find a better way to deal with its problem young?

Angela Neustatter visits young offenders, governors, staff, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, the Probation Service,Youth Offending Teams, voluntary agencies and campaigning organisations to find some answers to these important questions, and puts forward recommendations for improving the way society deals with children who break the law.