WIREDGOV

Yesterday’s report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) on conditions at Feltham Young Offenders Institution is a horrifying reminder that urgent work to make sure no child grows up in prison needs to start now.

The review, carried out by HMIP in March, found that conditions had significantly deteriorated since the last inspection two years ago, and self-harm and levels of violence were on the rise. HMP Feltham A, which holds children aged between 15 and 18 who are on remand or have been convicted, has seen incidents of disorder triple in that time.

Since becoming Children’s Commissioner three years ago, I have repeatedly expressed my deep concerns about the conditions for children living in such settings – the high levels of violence are a symptom of a system that isn’t working.

Feltham has repeatedly failed on safety in inspections dating back to 2014. In 2019, an urgent notification process was issued by the inspectorate due to the deterioration in this area. So, while the details of this latest report are no less shocking, they are not surprising.

Nor are these issues confined to Feltham. They can be seen across much of the youth estate. Robust action is not only welcome but long overdue.

It’s clear we need to completely rethink how we care for all of these children. It’s vital they get the support and education they need so their long-term outcomes aren’t dictated by the experiences of their childhood. As a society, it’s essential that we help these children break the cycle of reoffending.

As part of The Big Ambition, I heard from many children living in secure settings about what they wanted the government to do to make their lives better. In Feltham, many children expressed that they wanted further support for rehabilitation:

“Jail shouldn’t be the first option, there should be other ways to change and help the young people of today. Jail just makes everything worse” – Young person, living in Feltham.

“You put a child behind bars for 23 hours a day and expect us to change… where’s the logic in that?” – Young person, living in Feltham.

“Attend to the root of our problems. Employing more police or making sentences longer won’t change anything. How about (helping) parents pay for bills, food and having basic necessities so we don’t have to sell drugs and can go (to) school and stay at home.” – Young person, living in Feltham.

In my independent Family Review, I pointed out many of these concerning issues within the youth secure estate and recommended a new vision for secure care. It’s time for change and reform now. With a new government in power, it is my sincere hope that we rethink our approach so that these children can grow up to be happy and successful adults, who are able to contribute to society just like their peers.