Violence drops in youth prison after inmates offered sweets

Violence at a notorious youth prison has plummeted since inmates were offered credits for a sweet shop and other rewards for good behaviour.

When inspectors visited Feltham Young Offenders Institution last year they found it was “not safe for either staff or boys”, with frequent attacks seeing inmates punished by being kept out of education and let out of their cells for just two hours a day.

But when they returned in January, attacks on officers had dropped by 80 per cent and those against inmates by a third.

HM chief inspector of prisons said gang culture was still having a “significant impact” on the west London prison and violence is still high, but improving.

“Last year we reported how the focus had been on sanctions and regime restrictions; there was a cycle of violence and punitive responses, with no obvious strategy in place to break it,” said Peter Clarke.

“This had changed, and we found a new focus on rewards and incentives for good behaviour.”

As part of the scheme, boys are given merits for good behaviour that can be exchanged for sweets and chocolate in a dedicated shop and work towards reaching a “gold regime” of increased freedom.

“These improvements had not come about by accident, but were the result of clear, focused leadership,” Mr Clarke said. “It was no coincidence that in both these areas the majority of recommendations made at the last inspection were either fully or at least partially achieved.”

But the Howard League for Penal Reform said its advice line was still receiving a large number of calls from teenagers claiming they were spending 23 hours or more a day locked in their cells.

In the past year, it has received enquiries about 30 boys as young as 15 in Feltham, including one who said he had not been allowed a shower for four days and another who had not accessed education in a week.

The charity also raised concern about inmates being released without suitable housing, including a 17-year-old facing being moved outside London against his wishes.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “There have been some improvements in Feltham and there had to be, because the prison was so dire at its last inspection that the inspectors declared it unsafe for boys and unsafe for staff.

“No one should pretend, however, that Feltham is a suitable place for a child. Less than half of the boys are able to have a shower every day, and we keep getting calls from children telling us that they are stuck in their cells for hours and hours on end.”

Feltham, which currently houses 140 boys aged mostly 16 and 17, has long been accused of housing young prisoners in unsafe environments and failing to help turn their lives around.

In 2000, 19-year-old Zahid Mubarek, who had been jailed for stealing razor blades worth £6, was beaten to death by a racist cellmate who later scrawled a swastika on a wall.

A public inquiry heard prison officials missed 15 opportunities to save him from Robert Stewart, who was known to be very dangerous and possessed a homemade weapon.

Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the latest report showed “crucial progress”.

“But there is much for the rest of prison estate to learn from this report, especially in relation to safety,” he added.

“The improvement at Feltham is down to an approach that focuses on incentives for good behaviour, and resolving conflict before it turns into violence. Ministers should step back from plans in the adult estate to equip staff with more weapons, escalating the risk of violence rather than reducing it.”