// The Second World War
Large numbers of prisoners and borstal trainees were released at the outbreak of war and premises converted to other uses. From the autumn of 1940, however, the inmate population began to rise steadily. To ease overcrowding one third remission was introduced as an emergency measure; and the use of open prisons for adults became accepted when it was demonstrated that numbers of adult male prisoners could be trusted in open conditions. In 1945 the average daily population was 14,708 compared with 10,326 in 1939. This unexpectedly high population caused problems while the service was still significantly understaffed. The numbers sentenced to borstal training were high and the inadequate number of places available in borstal institutions meant that many trainees had to spend a considerable period in a local prison waiting for allocation. The deficiencies of the system became the subject of significant criticism in Parliament and the press. //
http://www.bunker8.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/history/prishist.htm
The stand out phrase there is
The numbers sentenced to borstal training were high . Youth delinquency was high in the 40s. It is high now. I doubt whether there is any difference between the two periods.
And before you go down the 'we should bring back the borstals', they didn't work. Reoffending was high, inmates abscounded and they were not a deterent, rather a badge of honour for lowlifes.