Nothing has given me and my team as much pleasure as returning a year later to find a totally changed atmosphere

Sir David Ramsbotham

He added that there had been improvements in staff and management plus the care and welfare of inmates.

Sir David wrote: "Almost exactly a year ago, we inspected HMYOI Brinsford and were most unhappy with what we found.

"Not only were there wholly inadequate facilities for young prisoners but the attitude of staff towards them was ill-informed and inappropriate, making it a place of misery and neglect."

Highlighted failings

He added: "Nothing has given me and my team as much pleasure as returning a year later to find a totally changed atmosphere.

"Relationships between confident staff and safer, better-cared-for young prisoners have been transformed."

David Henderson's family said he was bullied

One of the failings highlighted last year was the high level of self-harm among inmates and a culture of bullying.

Nine young inmates under the age of 21 have died there since 1992, including four in the past 12 months.

Last month, an inquest into the death of 18-year-old David Henderson found the prison partly to blame for his death.

Mr Henderson was discovered hanging from a sheet tied to his cell window at the prison on 17 March last year.

He died five days later in Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital.

'Zero tolerance'

At Stafford Crown Court last month a jury returned a verdict of accidental death aggravated by neglect.

Danny McAllister, who took over as governor five days after Mr Henderson's death, said he completely accepted the verdicts.

Mr Henderson's father, James, had claimed that his son had killed himself after persistent bullying from other inmates.

In his report, Sir David said he was impressed with tough new "zero tolerance" anti-bullying strategies that are now in place at the prison.

He also said that the management of the prevention of self-harm and suicide was "impressive".

Clearer focus

But he called for more staff training to understand adolescent behaviour.

Sir David's report also outlined the need to see an increase in activities for young offenders to end lengthy periods locked in their cells.

Prison governor Mr McAllister said that changes were continuing at the jail and staff had a clearer direction and focus.

He revealed that new funding of �2.5m would go towards building a new activities centre to provide education and vocational training for inmates.

Mr McAllister said: "There is always room for more to be done. There's no complacency.

"We will continue to operate right on the frontier of our resources."