Currently young people are strip-searched on a mandatory basis when they arrive at a young offender institution (YOI), with any subsequent searches while they are held in custody conducted on a “risk-led basis”.
However, from 5 May all searches will be conducted based on risk, the Youth Justice Board (YJB) has said.
The move follows pressure from campaign groups and criticism of the practice by experts.
Youth Justice Board director of operations Lucy Dawes, said full searches should only ever be undertaken on a risk-led, rather than a routine basis.
??“This principle is already firmly embedded into the practice of secure children’s homes and secure training centres, and so we are pleased that, thanks to the work of the YJB and the National Offender Management Service, from 5 May 2014, full searching of male young people in under-18 Young Offender Institutions will only happen on a risk led basis.”
The changes mean that, instead of being strip-searched, young people arriving at a YOI will be given a “rub down” search, scanned with a hand-held metal detector, and searched using a body orifice scanning system (Boss) chair – first trialled in the youth secure estate five years ago.
The changes will not affect young women as they are no longer held in YOIs.
In the case of young offenders returning from release on temporary licence (ROTL), governors will have the ability to introduce a random or mandatory strip-search programme for a limited period if they become aware of an increase in contraband, through mandatory drug testing results or security intelligence reports.
So-called “restricted status” young offenders – those in custody for the most serious offences whose escape would be highly dangerous to the public or national security – will still be subject to full searches on arrival, after visits, and as part of cell searches.
The same will be the case for “escape list” prisoners – those who have made active attempts to escape from custody.
A trial of risk-based searches took place at two establishments – Werrington YOI and Parc YOI – last summer.
In November it was extended to two further YOIs – Wetherby and Hindley.
Routine strip-searching of young offenders came in for criticism from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons in its annual report, published last October.
The report said that the practice was “pointless” and “worse than useless” at some YOIs.
It was particularly critical of figures from Cookham Wood YOI that showed just two discoveries of contraband from 729 strip searches.
