Youth jail grossly overcrowded

A jail for young offenders aged under 21 is "bursting at the seams" with a "disturbing" number of 15- and 16-year-old being locked up, a critical report published yesterday said. Feltham Young Offenders Institution in west London had become a "gigantic transit camp" which was "grossly overcrowded" with more than 900 inmates, said Sir David Ramsbotham, Chief Inspector of Prisons. He said that the increasing numbers and shortage of resources at the jail made it incapable of tackling re-offending.

Sir David is about to publish a special report on the condition of young offenders, which he believes need urgent attention and a designated director.