A third of recently convicted young criminals in Devon and Cornwall reoffend within a year, latest figures show.

It comes as a prison reform charity warned the justice system routinely fails to give young offenders the support they need.

Latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show 317 people aged between 10 and 17 in the Devon and Cornwall Police area were convicted of crimes in the 12 months to March 2023.

Within a year of their conviction, 104 (33 per cent) of them had already reoffended.

This was higher than the rate for those convicted in the previous 12 months, when it was 27 per cent. A decade ago the figure stood at 32 per cent.

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said contact with the criminal justice system regularly leads young people towards further offending, rather than rehabilitation.

Across England and Wales, 86 per cent of juvenile offenders convicted in the 12 months to March 2023 were male, and 77 per cent of them were aged between 15 and 17.

Meanwhile, 70 per cent were white, 16 per cent were black and five per cent were Asian. The remainder did not have their ethnicity recorded.

Collectively, the 104 reoffenders in Devon and Cornwall committed 417 offences after their initial convictions.

A government spokesperson said custody was only ever used as a last resort for children, and having fewer in prison means those who do remain there are potentially more likely to reoffend.

They added: "We need young offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime. These 2023 figures show that there is still a lot of work to do. This Government is increasing access to education. Through Youth Offending Teams, we are also steering young people away from ever pursuing a life of crime."