Wednesday 5 August 2009

YOI Report

Yet another damning report on our prison system fro Anne Owers ,Chief Inspector of Prisons. And this time on a newly opened young offenders prison for 15 -18 yr old boys, Cookham Wood Kent.
She found boys hiding in their cells. She found a seriously unsafe and poorly controlled environment with tense relations between boys and staff. Force was being used and more than a third had been physically restrained. The residential units were claustrophobic.Imagine teenagers confined in such conditions. She called for a cap on the numbers of youngsters being held there until a level of safety can be guaranteed.

Pauline Campbell campaigned vigorously on the lack of safety in women's prisons and one year after her death we are confronted with this horrific situation in a boys prison.

Phil Wheatley,director general of the National Offender Management Service says that things are better since the inspection and they will keep the levels of numbers under strict review before any increase I am struggling hard to believe that things will truly improve.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Joan

    I couldn't find your email address so thought I'd try this way!

    I’m thinking of including title cards for everyone that appears in 'Disarming Grandmothers' i.e. ‘Joan Meredith arrested for blockading with a non motor vehicle at Aldermaston in 2008’, and was hoping you could add some more information! I also need the same for Joy so if you have any info for her, or her email that would be great too!

    My email is claire@sugarintake.com

    Really encouraging to see your blog,

    Many thanks

    laughs and magic

    me x

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