Prisoners spend 22 hours a day in cells - report

Teenagers in Feltham Young Offender Institution (YOI) were locked in their cells for as long as 22 hours a day, according to a report.

Members of the prison's Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) also found that an increasing number of inmates were making and carrying weapons. A lack of staffing meant they also had little access to education.

The IMB's chair Jane Shalders said it was "highly concerning that children involved in knife crime are spending formative years in custody, yet being offered so little education".

The Ministry of Justice said the IMB had also noted improvements at the site, but that there was "more work to do".

The prison's IMB - a group of independent people who monitor conditions for inmates - looked at the YOI and the adjoining adult prison at Feltham between September 2023 to August 2024.

Ms Shalders said similar issues were found the previous year and it was "disappointing that such little progress" had been made.

"Keeping boys and men locked in their rooms for so many hours, particularly at weekends, means there is little chance of rehabilitation here at Feltham," she added.

Many of the issues were due to staff absence, such as maternity leave, and new staff being trained, the IMB found.

These findings follow several scathing reports in recent years, that have highlighted concerns about levels of violence at the site.

The board found inmates across both sites were spending at least 22 hours a day in their rooms, and that teenagers in the YOI were let out of their rooms for just an hour at times last summer.

This was having "a significant impact on prisoners' mental health and their opportunities for rehabilitation", the report said.

The IMB added it was also concerned that many children were receiving "very little" education, while the government target is 15 hours a week.

Education for adults was "unfit for purpose", it said, with many men remaining without suitable training or employment.

However, it said healthcare provision was good on both sites.

The Howard League for Penal Reform called the report "depressing".

Its director of campaigns Andrew Neilson said YOIs like Feltham were not overcrowded and that the regime "ought to be better".

"Many of the children trapped in this failing system should not be in custody at all, and certainly not in prisons like Feltham," he said.

An MOJ spokesperson said staff at Feltham had overhauled education and improved security to clamp down on violence.

"However, we know there is more to do and will continue to work closely with staff over the coming months."

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