Rising weapon attacks at youth jail - report
HMYOIHigh levels of violence and self-harm have been found at a young offender institution.
A highly critical report into conditions at Wetherby Young Offender Institution found "many violent incidents involved weapons", with relationships between staff and children deemed poor.
Visits by officers from HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in October and November also found body-worn cameras were not always activated when force was used in response to disruptive behaviour. However, inspectors also said work to help children prepare for release was good.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the report "is further evidence of the crisis in the criminal justice system inherited by this government".
Inmates at Wetherby are between 15 and 18 years old, with 97 teenagers held in custody at the time of this inspection.
The report noted five priority areas of concern:
- High levels of violence, with many incidents involving the use of weapons
- High rates of self-harm. Higher than in other comparable prisons
- Some children reported verbal abuse from staff
- Leaders did not have effective oversight of the quality of education and skills
- Leaders did not make sure teachers received professional development
A further six concerns included:
- Staff did not activate body-worn cameras during use of force incidents
- Drug strategy meetings were poorly attended
- Children were not always transferred to a mental health hospital promptly
- Ineffective governance of medicines administration
- Leaders had not made sure children's attendance in education had improved
- Provision for visitors was inadequate
Last month, a report by the Wetherby Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said more than 500 improvised weapons had been found at the site in eight months.
Inspectors for the HMIP said the prison had not rectified weaknesses identified at the previous inspection, and too many children "continued to make slow progress and leave without achieving qualifications".
The report noted work opportunities and enrichment activities for the children had improved, but "did not compensate for the poor quality of the core education provision".
However, the report praised the institute's resettlement work and stated release on temporary licence was "used effectively to maintain family ties and support reintegration".
An HMIP spokesperson, said: "The governor had started to make progress in addressing our previous concerns, but many outcomes for children remained frustratingly unchanged since 2023."
On the issue of prison staff not activating body-worn cameras, the MoJ said it had reinforced "activation expectations through training and staff notices and requiring managers to review all weekend incident footage".
An MoJ spokesperson said: "Progress is being made at HMP Wetherby, but we recognise more needs to be done to tackle violence, stabilise education provision and ensure custody helps young people turn away from crime and rebuild their lives.
"New leadership is already delivering calmer units, more time out of rooms, fewer separations and a more stable regime that supports safety, rehabilitation and reduced reoffending."
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