Evaluation of the Greater Manchester Remand Pilot
Over two thirds of children remanded to custody receive non-custodial sentences. The evaluation explores whether pooling remand funding on a regional basis can enable and develop more robust community alternatives to secure remand for children.
The evaluation has supported Greater Manchester’s aims to improve operational practice, and reduce instances where custodial remand is a default, rather than a necessity. The CCYJR’s commitment to youth informed research has put children’s experiences of custody at the forefront of the project resulting in a co-produced film for professionals explaining the damaging impact of custody on children’s lives. The evaluation has led to a Greater Manchester Remand Reduction Strategy and has contributed to changes in youth remand funding arrangements at a national level.
The government progress paper – ‘A modern Youth Justice System‘ – clearly states that the evaluation of the pilot has led to a new national three-year remand funding settlement of £20 million, per annum to local authorities across England and Wales. The paper further explains that based on the results of the evaluation, a proportion of the national remand budget will be reserved to support local authorities who agree to work regionally to improve alternative to custodial remand and bail options. The final report can be read here along with an executive summary.