Britain: An official handbook > 1966

104
BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Attendance Centres
Detention Centres
4 months, and those over the age of 16 on committal, who can be detained
only up to the age of 19, or 19! if they have been found guilty of absconding
or of serious misconduct in an approved school. In England and Wales a boy
or girl aged 15 years or over, and in Scotland any approved school pupil,
who presents a threat to the discipline of a school may be temporarily trans¬
ferred on a justice’s warrant to another establishment pending inquiry as to the
best means of dealing with him. In England and Wales a boy or girl of 15 years
or over who is detained in an approved school as an offender and is thought to
be more suitable for borstal training may, with the consent of the Home
Secretary, be brought before a magistrates’ court, which has power to order
removal to borstal. Managers of approved schools are under an obligation
to review the progress of each pupil in their charge with a view to granting a
release as soon as he or she is fit for it; release within the first six months of
the detention period requires the consent of the reponsible minister.
Statutory responsibility for after-care of boys and girls released from approved
schools rests on the school managers who are assisted in this work by welfare
officers and the probation and child-care services.
A number of attendance centres have been established in England and Wales
to deal with boys between the ages of 10 and 17 found guilty of offences for
which an adult can be sentenced to imprisonment. This form of treatment is
designed to teach young offenders a respect for the law and to give them
some instruction in the proper use of leisure. Boys ordered to attend must
do so during their spare time on Saturday mornings or afternoons; they may
be required to attend for up to three hours on any one occasion and for a
total of not less than twelve hours (with certain exceptions) and not more
than twenty-four. The activities include a period of instruction in handicrafts,
or a lecture (for example, on first aid) and a period of physical training or
disciplinary tasks under supervision. Efforts are made at the centres to
induce the boys to join a youth club or other suitable organisation.
There are also two centres for youths aged 17 to 21, which operate on
lines similar to those adopted at the juvenile centres, but the activities are
adapted to meet the needs of the older age group.
Detention centres provide a means of treating young offenders for whom a
long period of residential training in an approved school or borstal does not
seem necessary but who cannot be taught respect for the law by such measures
as fines or probation. In England and Wales junior centres are available for
boys between the ages of 14 and 17 years, and senior centres for boys between
the ages of 17 and 21. One centre is also available for girls between the ages
of 16 and 21. In Scotland there are two senior centres. Detention in England
and Wales may be for not less than three and not more than six months; if
consecutive sentences are passed, the total term may not exceed nine months
at any one time. Remission of up to one-sixth of the sentence may be earned
for good conduct. In Scotland the fixed period for all detention centre
sentences is three months.
As the intention is primarily deterrent, the life of a centre is strict and
vigorous, demanding a brisk tempo and the highest possible standard of
discipline and behaviour in every aspect of training. The routine provides a
normal working week of 44 hours, including one hour daily devoted to
physical training, and experience has shown that much positive training can
be given within the limits of this framework. Boys of compulsory school age
receive full-time education, and classes of further education are provided for
others in the evenings. Statutory supervision for up to 12 months of young