Although the juvenile unit at the YOI was due for closure at the time of the inspection last November, inspectors found flaws in the safety and supervision of the "volatile" population of 400 young adults.
Inspectors found that there were serious weaknesses in the investigations of violent incidents at the unit near Wolverhampton. Four out of the 10 young adults said they had felt unsafe and nearly one in three said they had been victimised by other prisoners.
While the inspection concluded that the new learning and skills provider was making improvements, concerns remained about the poor attendance of vocational training opportunities. Inspectors also found that a third of young men were locked in their cells during the working day.
But positive findings from the report include the fact there had been considerable improvements in the relationships between staff and young people. Diversity was also well managed, with young black, ethnic minority and Muslim prisoners not reporting worse experiences than others.
Owers said: "There had been improvements at Brinsford in recent years. The prison was clearly moving in the right direction, but there was a considerable distance still to travel. Recent changes in the learning and skills contract were beginning to have an effect, but managers needed to ensure that young men were motivated to engage with the opportunities offered.
"The loss of juveniles will leave the prison more able to focus on a single population but, at the same time, it will need to absorb budget cuts. In those circumstances, it will not be easy to ensure that Brinsford is able to progress further and provide an environment that can reduce the high reoffending rates of its young adult population."
Phil Wheatley, director general of the National Offender Management Service, said: "The governor will use the recommendations in this report to drive improvements in the learning and skills contract, to develop the regime and improve resettlement provision. Staff at Brinsford manage a challenging young adult population and will continue to work hard to ensure effective public protection and to reduce their risk of reoffending on release."
