Young Offenders Institute

That the Parliament considers that it is inappropriate for children to be in a prison-like setting, either a Young Offenders Institute or a prison, particularly for children that have not been sentenced to a custodial sentence; acknowledges that with appropriate resourcing most children can be supported and managed in the community and this offers the best opportunity for change, through options such as supervised bail programmes, intensive fostering placements and electronic monitoring; further recognises that, for the small group of children for whom the deprivation of their liberty is the only way to keep them and others safe, Scotland's secure care centres offer a more appropriate and effective way of meeting their needs, supporting their education and recovery, and calls upon the Scottish Government to do all it can to end the unnecessary incarceration of children.