'Vicious cycle' of improvised weapons at youth jail

More than 500 "improvised weapons" were found at Wetherby Young Offender Institution over an eight-month period last year, an independent report said.

The facility in West Yorkshire, part of the Youth Custody Service, can accommodate up to 288 young males between the ages of 15 and 18, with a total of 119 held there as of August.

In its annual report, the Wetherby Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said some young people carried sharp plastic or metal objects as they felt "unsafe", calling it a "vicious cycle".

The Ministry of Justice said the report was "evidence of the crisis in the criminal justice system inherited by this government", adding that "more needs to be done".

Other findings included:

• Rooms "just reach" the minimum standard for size, with young people often spending up to 23 hours a day in them with "little to occupy them"
• Violent incidents are decreasing but "remain a concern"
• The collapse of an education provider had had a significant impact on young people, with attainment remaining "unacceptably low"
• Some young people displayed "disruptive, volatile and extremely challenging" behaviour, which "impacts and restricts the regime of their peers"

However, the report praised efforts to create a three-year plan to improve both the care and prospects of young people being held there.

It said Wetherby's leadership team had created their own alternative educational provision and many young people had "started to engage" with it.

Both its governor and young people had worked hard to improve the environment around the establishment, it added.

Catherine Porter, chair of Wetherby IMB, said: "We have seen plans like this before, but this time, real change must take place.

"With fewer young people serving a custodial sentence, this is an opportunity that must be seized upon to improve the support towards rehabilitation these young people deserve to receive."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This report is further evidence of the crisis in the criminal justice system inherited by this government.

"While we are pleased the IMB recognised the commitment of staff and early progress at Wetherby, 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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