The findings have emerged in a report published by Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza, which found that some children are spending just 30 minutes out of their cell at weekends as prison officers struggle to tackle disruption and violence.
Young inmates told her they believe the environment they are in is not safe for family visits.
Despite this acting as a barrier to “important family relationships within the system”, prison management is not offering effective alternatives to ensure they stay in contact with relatives, she also found.
Too often family visits are cancelled, with half of children in young offenders institutions (YOIs) not receiving a single visit during the month-long period, between October and November 2022, looked at for the report.
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