Calls for urgent reform of prisons including Wetherby Young Offender Institution
A charity's calling for urgent reform of young offenders institutions - like the one in Wetherby, after finding violence there is much more common than in adult prisons
The Howard League for Penal Reform is calling a reform of children's prisons, after responding to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ Children in custody 2024-2025 report.
The annual report analyses survey responses from children living in five prisons in England and Wales – the young offender institutions (YOIs) at Werrington, Wetherby, Parc, Feltham A and Cookham Wood – and Oakhill secure training centre, in Milton Keynes.
The Howard League stated how although fewer children were held in these establishments than in the year before, they continued to spend long periods locked up behind cell doors.
The report found only 61% of those surveyed said they got more than two hours out of their cell on weekdays, which dropped to 45% for the weekend.
It also found violence was much higher than in prisons holding adults, and only 49% of children who responded to surveys said that they felt cared for by most staff.
In some cases, children were so scared that they did not leave their cells at all.
The report reveals that 40% of the children surveyed were in custody on remand, often for short periods of time. This made it more difficult for staff to build relationships with them and provide the support they needed.
Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Prison is no place for a child, and these painfully upsetting survey responses from children trapped in the system explain why. They chime with what the Howard League consistently hears through its legal advice line.
“It beggars belief that the government has given the go-ahead for staff to use PAVA spray against children held in these conditions, where they feel unsafe and uncared for. Introducing another way to inflict pain on children will only succeed in making these problems worse.
“Instead of arming staff, ministers should be focused on ensuring that children are being given all the support they need to move on from crime and lead positive lives. It starts with shutting these prisons.”
We have approached the Ministry of Justice for a right of reply.