Education and therapy for boys at Cookham Wood young offender
institution (YOI) was undermined by a custody regime which kept
them locked in cells while skilled and enthusiastic professionals
waited for them in empty rooms, prisons inspectors found.
Difficulties in getting the 15-18-year-olds out of cells to
attend the wide range of group-based services available led to a
“significant waste” of resources, a report by HM Inspectorate of
Prisons (HMIP) said.
The report, following an unannounced visit to the YOI near
Rochester in Kent, in August 2017, concluded that Cookham Wood
had “many redeeming features,” including some enthusiastic staff.
It assessed that “the vast majority of teaching, learning and
assessment was good and boys achieved very well.” Cancelled
education sessions had reduced in the two months before the
inspection. However, the report noted: “Individual work was
complemented by a range of focused group sessions, including art
therapy and managing emotions and resilience groups. Difficulties
remained in getting boys to group sessions, largely because of
the lack of escort officers. Between April and June 2017, about
40% of planned groups had been cancelled, which was a
considerable waste of this valuable resource.” The report added:
“The poor regime and delays in movements affected access to all
services and represented a significant waste of resources as
professionals waited in empty rooms for boys to arrive.”
Inspectors found Cookham Wood, holding 161 boys, to be less safe
and more violent than at the previous inspection in 2016, with
little evidence of an effective strategy to reduce
violence.
Peter Clarke, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons said: “While we did
not underestimate the risks presented by some of the boys at the
establishment and the need to manage their movements carefully,
some of the unlock procedures were unnecessarily cumbersome and
created further delays to an already curtailed regime.” Mr Clarke
added: “The main prison regime was also poor and unpredictable.
The lack of time out of cell restricted access to education,
interventions and meaningful interaction with staff and other
boys. What was perhaps most unforgivable was that there were many
skilled staff and partners who were keen to work with boys to
help them progress but their efforts were frustrated by the
failure to unlock boys on time, if at all. We were told by
numerous professionals that this was not uncommon.”
The report noted that the YOI estimated the average time out of
cell over the previous six months before the inspection to be
about 4.5 hours a day. However, a significant number of boys
received far less.
Strengths at Cookham Wood included work with boys in their early
days in custody, when they were well supported in reception and
on the induction unit. Boys with potentially life-threatening
medical conditions were encouraged to wear a medical alert
wristband to help custody staff to ensure their safety, which was
good practice.
Overall, Mr Clarke said:
“A new governor had been appointed just weeks before our visit.
We were encouraged by his optimism and plans to address the
issues we have highlighted in our report. Cookham Wood retains
many redeeming features, not least an extended team of
enthusiastic staff with a wide range of skills. They now need to
focus on ensuring that boys can access the services they need to
progress.”
Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Prisons and
Probation Service, said:
“Regrettably, staffing shortages did affect the regime we were
able to provide for boys at Cookham Wood, which is why we
prioritised the recruitment of staff last year. As the Chief
Inspector points out, the quality of teaching and learning
provision is good, and we were able to provide greater access to
education and training prior to the inspection. More Officers are
now in post, with additional recruits in training, and with these
new staff in place, the Governor will be able to provide a more
consistent regime, reduce violence and provide better support for
the young people in his care.”
Notes to editors
1. A copy of the
full report, published on 9 January 2018, can be found on the HM
Inspectorate of Prisons website at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons
2. HM
Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate,
inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and
treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and
the public.
4 HMYOI
Cookham Wood was built in the 1970s, originally for young men,
but its use was changed to meet the growing need for secure
female accommodation at the time. In 2007-8, it changed its
function to accommodate 15 to 17-year-old young men to reduce
capacity pressures in London and the south-east for this age
group. In January 2014, a new purpose-built residential
unit was opened incorporating integrated facilities, and designed
to meet the needs of the young people and improve safety.
5. This
unannounced inspection took place between 14–25 August 2017.
