Peter Lazenby
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VIOLENCE at a Young Offenders’ Institution is so bad inspectors have dubbed it “the most violent prison in the country.”
A shocking report from prisons inspectors has found conditions at Feltham ‘A’ YOI in Hounslow, London — which holds youths aged 18 and under — has severely deteriorated following a “worrying decline.”
The level of violence has gotten so out of control that children kept there do not want family to visit them in case it breaks out in front of them.
Incidents of disorder had tripled since the last inspection and the use of force, usually in response to violence, had risen by 68 per cent.
But the Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor praised front-line staff as a “real asset” working to help and support “even the most challenging children in their care despite the violence around them.”
YOI Feltham is the latest in the legacy of chaos in the justice and prisons system left by the Tories following their July 4 general election defeat.
In 2023, the prison’s education block was temporarily closed because of the level of assaults.
Andrew Neilson, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Over a decade ago, the then-chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick said he would be ‘terrified’ if his children were sent to Feltham.
“The prison was so violent that the Ministry of Justice announced it would be closed.
“Yet here we are, all these years on, and Feltham is still open and more violent than ever.
“Prison is no place for a child. Let us hope that the new ministers in place at the Ministry of Justice take action to close Feltham for good.”
