Violence and bullying on rise at young offender institution

An inspection of Werrington YOI in Stoke, which was holding 110 young people at the time of the visit in October, found that one in four boys reported feeling unsafe and half reported having been victimised by other boys. The report said more needs to be done to manage bullying behaviour.

"Recorded levels of violence were higher than in similar prisons and had increased since our last inspection," a report by the Prisons Inspectorate states.

"Over 40 per cent of assaults on boys involved multiple assailants. Measures were in place to keep boys in conflict apart and some victims of bullying received good care.

"However, the management of perpetrators was inadequate in some cases. Bullying related information reports had more than doubled since our last inspection and not enough attention was paid to those who voluntarily isolated themselves on wings."

Inspectors found that there were "too few incentives to promote good behaviour". Low-level antisocial behaviour went unchallenged and there was an over-reliance on the internal adjudication process to address the problem.

"Some boys told us that behaving badly was the only way to get attention and be listened to," the report states.

The report also raises concerns that although more than half of the population were from a black or minority ethnic background and a third were Muslim, there had been only two diversity and equality meetings in 2015.

Inspectors also raised concerns that the number of young people considered to be at risk of suicide or self-harm were too high.

Despite the concerns, the report did find that relationships between young people and specialist staff such as youth workers, teachers and offender supervisors were strong.

Meanwhile the senior management team were "beginning to find their feet and were clearly committed and enthusiastic".

Martin Lomas, deputy chief inspector of prisons, said: "While we were greatly concerned about the deficiencies in the management of safety at Werrington, we found managers and staff to be receptive to our findings and were confident that they would make concerted efforts to make the establishment safer.

"Their success in maintaining positive outcomes in our other tests of a healthy prison, despite some significant challenges, was commendable."

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said Werrington manages an increasingly complex group of boys.

"Since the inspection, staff numbers have increased; a new system to challenge bullying and violence has been implemented, and a new culture of positive reward for good behaviour introduced.
 
"Tackling violence and providing a safe environment remains the governor's biggest challenge and top priority and work will continue to improve standards even further."