Feature: Care in custody

Every prison has got new lads who don't know what to do. They think the best solution is to have a fight to gain respect. But I explain that violence gets violence. You get respect from education and release on temporary licence," says 18-year-old Middy (not his real name).

He's been at Ashfield Young Off-ender Institution (YOI), near Bristol, for two years and has three and a half years left to serve. But Wendy Sinclair, director of Ashfield YOI, is proud of what he's achieved. Not only is he training to be a chef at Bistro, the staff canteen, but he is a mentor to boys on Brook Wing, a specialist unit for 15- and 16-year-old offenders.

Both the Brook Wing and the use of older young offenders to mentor younger ones are innovative practices that are slowly being copied elsewhere. At a time when numbers within the juvenile secure estate have never been higher, they represent an attempt to make prison as child-friendly as possible. But, with many campaigners arguing that prison can never be the right place for under-16s, can custody ever be a place where children's needs are put first?

The Brook Wing opened six months ago in response to growing numbers of young offenders under school leaving age. "We noticed they were the ones targeted for bullying," explains Sinclair. "It tends to be these young people's first time in custody and we were concerned about the impact of placing them with more serious offenders."

The idea is to create a protected environment that stops prison being the start of a criminal career. The impact of this dedicated wing, which holds up to 39 young people out of a total of 400 young offenders, can be seen already. "It's greatly reduced levels of violence and bullying. The latest violence reduction survey shows a greater percentage of under-16s said they felt safer on Brook Wing," reveals Sinclair.

However, figures recently obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform under the Freedom of Information Act reveal a significant increase in the use of restraint against 15-year-olds in Ashfield between April and June 2008, despite the new Brook Wing being open in this period. In April there was one incident and in June eight. For 16-year-olds the figures rose from 16 to 20 over the same period.

Andrew Neilson, assistant director, public affairs and policy at the Howard League for Penal Reform, says: "The figures show Ashfield is still an unsafe institution for children, with all bar one restraint incident on under-16s between April and June resulting in at least a minor injury to the child. Two incidents in those three months left the child requiring medical attention."

But staff at Ashfield insist these figures don't mean the institution is unsafe for children. Eighty-eight per cent of staff are trained in Cornell University's Therapeutic Crisis Intervention principles, which teach them de-escalation techniques that calm down difficult situations to minimise the use of restraint.

A high percentage have also done motivational interview techniques on how to talk productively to young people. "We're really focused on giving staff the skills to manage difficult children," explains Sinclair.

It is not just mentors that make Brook Wing different from the rest of the young offender institution. Although it is still clearly recognisable as a prison with cells and locked doors, the central corridor is covered in blue carpet, a world away from the beige lino that is standard fare in prisons. This dampens down noise, creating a quieter, softer atmosphere. Bean bags line the communal area with pool tables in the centre. And the soft pastel colour of each cell door matches the colour inside - something recommended by a colour therapist to enhance calmness.

"We've found that the better the environment, the better they look after it," reveals Sinclair. There are also individual shower cubicles with locks inside to ensure privacy for the young people. "It's unusual for a prison, but they're terribly nervous about their bodies at this age," she adds.

The vision behind Brook Wing is proudly displayed on laminated sheets on each cell door. These state the aim is to "protect those vulnerable and younger children committed to custody, especially for the first time, from significant harm, including self-harm or suicide, bullying and or abuse from more experienced offenders, all while encouraging and nurturing them in addressing the reasons behind their offending". The sheet then states that the wing's principles encompass the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including putting children first and providing abused and neglected children with an opportunity to heal.

It is why Sinclair insists that she runs Ashfield, which is the only privately-run YOI in England, like a boarding school or care home. Football clubs, the Duke of Edinburgh Award and gym sessions are just some of the regular activities on offer.

"And I insist on calling them young people, not prisoners or inmates. Language is very important," says Sinclair. She's installed flower beds in the grounds and ensures art displays and murals by the children adorn the walls. Four months ago, young people helped transform a barren patch of land into a thriving vegetable garden. "I have to touch every lettuce leaf and see every tomato when I come here. The young people are so proud," she smiles.

But campaigners remain unconvinced. Neilson says: "Ultimately, we strongly oppose the placement of under-16s in young offender institutions and no amount of window-dressing in terms of facilities can disguise the fact these children should not be there in the first place. Where custody must be used for public protection then it should be based on the secure care home model - small, locally run with a high proportion of staff to children, all with a social work background."

Meanwhile, staff at Ashfield have a host of other challenges to contend with. It takes young people from around 120 sentencing courts and around a third of children are in care. This means links with social workers and youth offending teams can be hard to maintain, particularly when young people are released. Each month 10 to 20 leave Ashfield with no fixed abode.

"I remain concerned about the number of children who leave without support to maintain the changes they've made here," says Sinclair. Indeed, Gary Willding, head of young people's services at Ashfield, says he's had four young people refuse to leave. "It's sad because you provide all this support and guidance and when they go out that signposting is lost," he says.

Despite the challenges and fierce debates among adults, Middy is optimistic about his future. Originally from the Middle East, he has learnt English in prison. As one of four mentors on Brook Wing he has been trained by chaplaincy staff and has his own mentor to support him. He says: "I feel my ideas and opinions are not going into space. I've got people listening to me, more than on the outside."

DIARY OF A LIFE INSIDE

Jalil*, 16, has been at Ashfield Young Offender Institution for three and a half months and has six months left to serve. But he says he feels safe on Brook Wing, a specialist unit for young people under the school leaving age.

"It's quite quiet and bullying is dealt with," he reveals. When he arrived a mentor explained the routine and life inside. He says staff and mentors tell him to keep his head down so he can get early release. He's hoping to achieve certificates in maths and English, which will help him secure early release and give him something to show for his achievements. He also likes using the gym. Here he describes a typical weekday.

"I wake up and have breakfast before getting some fresh air in the yard. We're then banged up until lessons start at 8.30am. Each lesson lasts an hour and a half. 12 is lunchtime then we're banged up until 1.30pm. Then we have a lesson until 3pm and another from 3.30pm to 5pm when it's dinner time. We're banged up 'til 6.15pm when it's association (free time on the communal part of the wing) until 8pm. We play snooker and table tennis. Then at 8pm we're banged up until the next day."

*Name has been changed.