§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Paul Goggins)The coroner for the mid and north division of the county of Shropshire wrote to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, on 5 May, recommending a public inquiry into certain issues arising from the inquest into the death of John Peter Joseph Scoles (known as Joseph) at Stoke Heath young offenders institution on 24 March, 2002.
The Treasury solicitors wrote to the legal representatives for Joseph's family to seek their comments on what the coroner had recommended. Having received and considered their comments, together with the coroner's recommendation, I am now able to announce the measures I have taken and am taking to ensure that the matters arising from Joseph's tragic death and the coroner's recommendations are properly considered.
The issues fall into three broad categories. They are: the appropriateness of the sentence Joseph received; the effectiveness of relevant operational procedures in identifying, placing and safeguarding vulnerable young people in custody; and whether the juvenile secure estate has adequate accommodation to meet the needs of vulnerable young people.
The steps I am taking to deal with these are as follows:
I have referred the circumstances in which Joseph received a custodial sentence on three counts of attempted robbery to the Sentencing Guidelines Council, requesting it to take this case into account in its current work to draw up guidelines on sentencing for robbery;I have appointed David Lambert, a former Assistant Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate, to examine the operational issues raised by this case, including through the coroner's inquest. I have also asked him to provide a summary account of all investigations that have been conducted into Joseph's death;I have asked the Youth Justice Board, which is preparing proposals for its vision for the future juvenile custodial estate, to take full account of the points made by the coroner on the adequacy of custodial provision for vulnerable young offenders.I consider that the above measures are the most effective means of addressing the matters the coroner has drawn to the Home Secretary's attention and what lessons should be learned from Joseph's death. I am grateful to the coroner, and to Joseph's family, for highlighting the issues that are of concern to them. Nothing can bring Joseph back, but I do want to ensure that everything is done to prevent the repetition of such a tragic event.