Overlooked and Overrepresented: 5 Years On

01 Feb 2022

Over five years have passed since the publication of our first Overlooked and Overrepresented report, which highlighted the disproportionate representation of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) children in the youth justice system. In that time, GRT children have remained overrepresented in youth institutions.

This publication analyses the latest Children in Custody report, published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in 2021. Comparisons are drawn between the data published in the 2015-16 and 2019-20 reports to map changes in GRT youth (over)representation in the criminal justice system. The data for both reports derive from surveys conducted at all three Secure Training Centres (STCs) and five Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) in the UK, though the 2019-20 report also included a separate specialised unit at one site. The 2015-16 report presented the findings from 720 questionnaires; the 2019-20 report collated data from 613 questionnaires. The majority of children (83%) who participated in the 2019-20 questionnaires were from YOIs and 97% of all respondents were male.