A 12-year-old has won the Young Human Rights reporter category of a prestigious writing competition.

Jordan Gordon-Harris, a Year 7 pupil at Bancroft’s School, in High Road, Woodford Green, received the award last night in Shoreditch at an event hosted by BBC radio DJ Nick Bright.

The Amnesty International Youth Awards had over 5,500 entries from more than 200 schools across the UK. 

Jordon was inspired by his aunt, who works in the prison service, and wrote about why he feels prison might not be the answer to changing lives of young offenders. 

He said: “I’m so excited because I worked quite a bit on working on this piece and I’m happy that my viewpoint can be shared with the world. 

“I think everyone has a right to be treated with respect and to be valued. We should also think about other people's feelings.”

His winning entry, entitled Wasted Lives, calls for reform of the prison system.

An excerpt reads: “When you think about a young criminal what is the first thing that comes to mind?

“Bad person! Dangerous - stay well away!

“They are no longer a person but demonised. I often wonder how they arrived at this situation.

“18-25 year-olds make up one in ten of the UK population, but they account for a staggering third of those sent to prison each year.

“Why are so many young people being sent to prison? If we try to speak to young offenders we might learn the reasons why they commit a crime."