Use of force incidents treble at young offender institution
Jess Brown
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
The number of times staff at a young offender institution (YOI) have used force against children has risen three-fold, according to an inspection report.
Staff at Parc YOI, which is run by G4S – the security firm at the centre of the Medway Secure Training Centre (STC) abuse scandal – used force on 202 occasions in the six months before the January 2016 inspection. By comparison, force was used on 67 occasions in the six months prior to the previous inspection in May 2014.
One member of staff had recently been dismissed for using excessive force.
Inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Prisons also witnessed a strip search under restraint, which they called "inappropriate".
Only 55 per cent boys reported to inspectors that most staff treated them with respect, and more than a third said they would have no one to turn to if they had a problem. More than four in 10 boys said they had been victimised by staff.
The inspection also recorded more incidents of fights and assaults than at the last inspection.
There had been 79 assaults on children in the six months leading up to the unannounced inspection, and almost a quarter of boys in the YOI said they had been hit, kicked or assaulted by another boy.
Parc YOI holds 38 boys aged 17 and under.
Lin Hinnigan, chief executive of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), said: “We expect high standards of the services we commission at Parc.
“The YJB had already started to work with G4S to address our concerns around increased violence and the use of restraint, prior to inspection.
“This included a review of safeguarding arrangements and work to strengthen engagement with young people to ensure their voices are heard. Our staff have since attended all safeguarding meetings and the young person’s forum, and will be working with Parc to oversee improvements in these areas."
Earlier this year, a police investigation was launched into allegations of abuse by G4S staff at Medway Secure Training Centre. Five men are currently on police bail after four of them were arrested on suspicion of child neglect, and a fifth was held on suspicion of assault.
This week, five further suspects were arrested by Kent Police on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.
