LONDON — Justice Secretary David Lammy will publish a white paper on Monday proposing to cut the use of custodial remand for under-18s in England and Wales by 25% by the end of the parliament, with a view to ending it altogether. The plans could also end lifelong criminal records for under-18s and allow judges to offer a wider range of community sentences.

Officials said that cutting custodial remand and expanding community sentences should jointly reduce the number of young people in prison by 20%. An additional £15m a year will fund teams working with children deemed to be at risk of offending, and the Ministry of Justice will pilot youth intervention courts where judges and support workers will develop individually tailored plans for young people, including health or educational requirements and close monitoring to prevent repeat offending.

"Growing up in Tottenham in the 1980s, my biggest fear was ending up in prison. That may sound irrational, but in truth it was the fate of so many young Black boys like me," Lammy said ahead of the publication. In 2017, he criticised the lasting impact of childhood offences on criminal records as part of his review into Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in the justice system.

Lammy set out the rationale for limiting custody for younger offenders. "For the most serious offences, custody will always be necessary to protect the public – that will never change," he said. "But for many children, even a short spell inside can do lasting damage, disrupting the most formative years of their lives and sometimes exposing them to more violence and criminal influence."

According to Ministry of Justice figures, 80% of prolific offenders committed their first crime as a child, and two-thirds of those released from custody reoffend within a year. Lammy is launching a consultation on whether children should have to disclose criminal records for the rest of their lives.

The Ministry of Justice will also consult on fining parents and on sending parents to jail if they fail to keep their children away from crime. Lammy is promising to create a new offence of child criminal exploitation to penalise adults who encourage children to commit crimes.

"I have consistently been clear about the need to reform the youth justice system. We must build an approach that keeps children safe, diverts them from crime wherever possible and prioritises meaningful behaviour change," children's commissioner Rachel de Souza said.