Young offender treatment

• In 1900, borstals were introduced. The first one was set up in Kent in 1902.
• In 1908 the Prevention of Crime Act created a national system of borstals.
• Borstals were prisons entirely for boys, and were designed to keep young convicts separate from older criminals. The day was very structured and disciplined with an emphasis on physical exercise and learning practical skills.
• In 1982 the Criminal Justice Act abolished the borstal system and replaced them with youth custody centres.