New data published by the Office for National Statistics has found that children in care were more at risk of interacting with the criminal justice system during early adulthood than their peers. More than half (52%) of looked-after children had a criminal conviction by the age of 24 years compared with 13% of children who had not been in care.

The analysis examines the social background of care-experienced young people who were imprisoned at any point up to the age of 24 years. It focuses on a single cohort of individuals born in 1993 to 1994 who undertook at least part of their schooling in England

Whilst imprisonment was a “relatively unusual outcome”, 15% of looked-after children had received an immediate custodial sentence by the age of 24 years: 10 times the proportion of children who had not been in care. Looked-after children were also more likely to receive their first custodial sentence at a younger age. Around 30% had received a sentence by the age of 16, compared to 9% for children who had not been in care.

The data suggests a disproportionate rate of imprisonment between different ethnic groups. Black (19%) and Mixed (21%) looked-after children had higher rates of imprisonment than their White or Asian counterparts.

9 in 10 (92%) of those looked-after children who received an immediate custodial sentence had been identified with special education needs (SEN).

Out of that cohort, 1 in 2 looked-after children were recorded with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD). 76% of those looked-after children who received an immediate custodial sentence were identified with BESD and were more likely to have been identified with behavioural issues at school, been suspended or expelled.