Justice Committee — hearing of 8 September 2026: transcript & video · Polyfact

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Justice Committee

8 September 2026

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Contents updated on 8 Sept 2026

The Acting Chair opens the youth justice inquiry, members and witnesses set out their roles, and the Youth Justice Legal Centre and Youth Justice Board explain the distinct aims, principles and child‑first framework of the youth sentencing regime, highlighting outdated guidance, outcome data and early evidence of implementation failures and racial disproportionality.

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Opening, witnesses and youth justice principles

00:05

Opening of session and witness introductions

00:05

Youth sentencing framework vs adult system

03:03

Child‑first framework, guidance gaps and outcomes

06:26

Implementation failures, diversion and racial disproportionality

08:20

Serious sexual offences case and public confidence

11:00

Fordingbridge case — implications and harmful sexual behaviour

11:00

Public confidence, serious offences and victims vs rehabilitation

13:53

Custody, remand, disproportionality and community options

22:58

Custody as last resort and remand overuse

22:58

Systemic drivers: adult settings, unlawful remand and training

30:54

Young adults, age of responsibility, short custody and PAVA

32:48

High remand share, youth court capacity and net‑widening risks

38:43

Ethnic disproportionality, adultification and anti‑racism practice

47:51

Community alternatives, reoffending data and capacity gaps

53:26

Children’s Commissioner mandate, data and reform proposals

01:03:53

Children’s Commissioner — role, data powers and school pipeline

01:03:53

Sentencing reforms: short custody, YROs, diversion and parenting

01:07:26

Commissioner on serious offences, custody models and remand

01:14:23

Fordingbridge case, serious sexual offences and role of custody

01:14:23

State of YOIs, better custody models and raising the age

01:21:00

Remand as ‘production line of pointlessness’ and PAVA stance

01:29:46

Community sentences, youth courts and transforming YOIs

01:35:25

Community sentences, court experience and youth‑specific skills

01:35:25

Targets to cut custody and transforming education in YOIs

01:41:10

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Justice Committee

8 September 2026

Committee Tue, 8 Sept 2026 House of Commons

00:04 - 00:37

Speaker 4

Order, order. Welcome to this session of the Justice Committee. This is the second session of our youth justice inquiry and focus on sentencing in youth justice cases and community-based alternatives to custody. For our second panel, we'll be hearing from the Children's Commissioner, but first, we're hearing from the Youth Justice Board and the Youth Justice Legal Centre. Before we begin our questioning, the members of the committee will need to briefly make their declarations of interest, so can I start Ashley?

00:37 - 00:47

Speaker 2

Good afternoon, I'm Ashley Fox, the member for Bridgwater. I'm a former solicitor and my interests are on the register.

00:47 - 01:13

Speaker 5

I'm Tessa Munt, I'm acting chair this afternoon until we elect our chair for the next session of Parliament. So, I'm the member of Parliament for Wells and Mendip Hills, which is in Somerset, and I'm also a director and the vice chair of Whistleblowers UK, which is a not-for-profit organisation, and the chair of Penal Affairs APPG, the All-Party Parliamentary Group. Thank you.

01:13 - 01:27

Speaker 3

Hello, I'm Sarah Russell, I'm the member for Congleton. My interests are as on the register, but I'm a member of various trade unions and I chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Justice and I'm a solicitor.

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