More child criminals to be sent to Feltham despite damning inspection finding youth jail unsafe

Watchdog calls for government to make 'radical change' amid rocketing violence and self-harm

Feltham has become notorious for the level of violence against inmates and staff (PA)

More children are to be sent into a notorious youth prison just months after an inspection found “appalling” conditions were making it unsafe.

An urgent notification was issued to Feltham Young Offenders Institution (YOI) in July after HM Inspectorate of Prisons uncovered rocketing self-harm and violence.

Transfers into its A unit, which holds 15 to 17-year-olds, were paused as a result of the damning findings but have now been resumed following a risk assessment.

Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons, said he hoped “this decision proves to be well-founded”.

He added: “I hope that at long last there will be a recognition that Feltham, if it is to remain as an institution holding children in custody, must change in a more radical way than at any time in its troubled history.

“Short-term improvements followed by dramatic and dangerous declines should no longer be tolerated.”

The Howard League for Penal Reform told The Independent it was still receiving calls from teenage inmates at Feltham and loved ones with concerns.

Andrew Neilson, the charity’s director of campaigns, said the youth prison was an “irredeemably flawed institution”.

He added: “Nothing has changed. It is not working, and it is not going to work.

“We should remember that this is an institution holding school-age children and that Feltham A has faced a litany of damning inspection reports. Any school with such an unmitigated record of failure would be closed on the spot, yet Feltham A is now reopening its gates to more children. This appalling situation cannot be allowed to continue.”

The Howard League is among campaign groups calling for Feltham to be shut down, arguing that the “terrible conditions” inside put young inmates at risk and worsen any chance of rehabilitation.

“Feltham A fails these children, and society as a whole, and therefore should be closed,” Mr Neilson said.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) released the results of the inspection that triggered the urgent notification in July on Wednesday.

It was the second inspection of Feltham prison carried out this year, following a January visit that found the children’s unit was unsafe and deteriorating.

Feltham is split into two institutions holding younger and older youth priosners (Getty)

Inspectors said violent incidents rose by almost half in the interim six months, assaults on staff were up by 150 per cent and self-harm had tripled.

Three quarters of children told the watchdog they had been restrained but “accountability for the use of force by staff had all but collapsed”.

HMIP said a third of children reported being let out of their cells for less than two hours a day during the week, meaning they could not access education and resettlement services, and then many were released without stable accommodation, training or employment in place.

Mr Clarke said: “Not only were children not getting to education, but neither was education getting to them. In the four weeks leading up to the inspection some 800 hours had been scheduled to be delivered on residential wings, but only around 250 hours had actually materialised.”

He said stretched staff had been focused on “containing the behavioural problems of the boys” rather than addressing root causes and rehabilitating them.

“Neither boys nor staff were safe,” Mr Clarke added. “The negative cycle of containment and separation that we have commented on in the past still dominated the day-to-day lives of those who lived and worked in the establishment.”

Kenny Imafidon, who was held in Feltham for six months on remand before being acquitted of murder, said the findings were not a surprise and that it was a “bad decision” to lift the ban on new inmates.

He told The Independent that keeping boys in their cells increased tensions and the fact Feltham is a “very tough place for staff” worsened relationships and turnover.

“You bring in a lot of people with different issues into the same place and there isn’t enough resources to support them,” he said. “That has been in the case for years.”

The youth mentor, who founded the My Brother’s Keeper programme, said the low take-up of educational opportunities was “appalling” and called for a culture change by both inmates and staff.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said long-standing problems at Feltham had been exacerbated by years of government funding cuts and the loss of experienced staff.

National Executive Committee representative Dave Cook said staff had been working with Feltham’s new governor, Emily Martin, to “bring stability and safety back into the establishment”.

“We welcome the HMIP report and urge the government to correctly resource Feltham so that it cannot only be a safe establishment, but be at the forefront of rehabilitation for young prisoners,” he added.

The watchdog said its inspection of Feltham’s B unit, which holds male prisoners aged between 18 and 20, showed a “significant” improvement to safety, rehabilitation and planning for release.

The Youth Custody Service said “immediate changes” were made to Feltham’s A unit following the urgent notification to strengthen staffing and tackle violence.

Executive director Helga Swidenbank said: “Young people at Feltham A can now access a full regime and there has been a sustained reduction in levels of self-harm, the use of force and the number of assaults on staff. Young offenders also have far better access to showers, more time out of their rooms and are more likely to attend their education classes.

“The full range of improvements will need time to take effect, but progress is being made – a credit to the governor and her staff who care deeply about the safety of those in their custody.”