THE number of children in custody who have been restrained has more than doubled in the last five years, research revealed yesterday.

A report by the Howard League for Penal Reform on the use of restraint, solitary confinement and strip-searching in child units in England and Wales describes the practice as the “illegal, systemic physical abuse of children in prison.”

The latest research also showed that children have suffered 4,350 injuries in the last five years while being restrained.

Howard League for Penal Reform head Frances Crook said children in custody were “mistreated, abused and suffer a punishing regime.”

The report comes 10 years after the Carlile inquiry recommended that restraint should never be used as a punishment or to secure compliance.

The original inquiry followed the deaths of two boys in secure training centres, and the latest report, the Carlile Inquiry 10 Years On, looks at what progress has been made.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman insisted the safety and welfare of young people in custody was its “highest priority” and that restraint and segregation should only be used as a last resort when there was no risk of harm.