April’s issue of Independent Monitor, the publication of the Association of Members of Independent Monitoring Boards, includes a review by Article 39’s Director of monitoring in child prisons, and the action taken in response to abuse allegations. The article includes some results from Article 39’s FOI research on abuse allegations in institutional settings, and local … Read more Abuse allegations in child prisons
As the government prepares its plans for secure schools, it must surely be considering the tremendous harm caused to children by imprisonment across the decades. One such indicator is the number of children who have died in prisons. Data recently released by the Ministry of Justice shows 52 children died in young offender institutions (and … Read more Deaths in child prisons
An Ofsted inspection of Rainsbrook secure training centre, which detains children between the ages of 12 and 17, as well as some 18 year-olds, has concluded it “requires improvement”. The inspection of the G4S-run prison took place in September 2015, several months after inspectors rated its safety and overall effectiveness as “inadequate”. Although the safety … Read more Rainsbrook STC “requires improvement”
Unless there are changes in law and/or government policy, the Ministry of Justice predicts there will be 700 boys incarcerated in young offender institutions every year between 2016 and 2020. Latest data shows there were 682 boys in young offender institutions in September 2015. The official predictions mean England will continue to be one of … Read more Ministry of Justice predicts no decrease in child prisoner numbers
The latest inspection report on Feltham young offender institution states many boys have less than 30 minutes daily access to fresh air. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission considered such deprivation to be “seriously detrimental to the health, development and wellbeing of growing boys”. Apparently the prison has now moved to a system of 60 … Read more Lack of fresh air “seriously detrimental” to children’s health in prison