Over two thirds of children remanded to custody receive non-custodial sentences.  The remand pilot explores whether pooling youth remand funding on a regional basis can enable and develop more robust community alternatives to secure remand for children.

The evaluation supports Manchester City Council’s aims to improve operational practice, and reduce instances where custodial remand is a default, rather than a necessity.

Professor Hannah Smithson, Dr Kate Westwood, Dr Paul Gray and Dr Deborah Jump have been evaluating the pilot for the past year. They have worked with professionals across Local Authorities, Youth Justice teams, wider services, and young people to understand their experiences of the remand process.  The pilot is seen as an opportunity to think and respond very differently to the needs of vulnerable children and the ways in which agencies should work strategically together and take joint responsibility for developing alternatives to custodial remand. 

For more information, contact: Prof. Hannah Smithson h.l.smithson@mmu.ac.uk