HMYOI Feltham A in west London – home to 140 boys aged mostly 16 and 17 – had become significantly safer in the last year, inspectors found.

A troubling inspection in early 2017 found safety and the provision of meaningful activity for boys – two key ‘healthy prison’ tests – to be ‘poor’, the lowest HMI Prisons assessment. When inspectors returned in January 2018, according to Peter Clarke, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, it was “pleasing to be able to report that both these areas had improved…Safety had improved quite dramatically, so that on this occasion it was found to be ‘reasonably good’.

“These improvements had not come about by accident, but were the result of clear, focused leadership. It was no coincidence that in both these areas the majority of recommendations made at the last inspection were either fully or at least partially achieved.”

Though London gang culture still had a significant impact in Feltham A and violence remained high, the level of violence had nevertheless reduced overall, including an “impressive” 80% reduction in assaults on staff. Assaults on boys were down by a third. Inspectors commended some effective conflict resolution by staff and some boys were now allowed to eat meals together. Mr Clarke commended a new rewards-based behaviour management philosophy that was, at the time of this inspection, still being embedded. “Last year we reported how the focus had been on sanctions and regime restrictions; there was a cycle of violence and punitive responses, with no obvious strategy in place to break it. This had changed, and we found a new focus on rewards and incentives for good behaviour.” There was also a positive impact from a new enhanced support unit (ESU) opened for the most challenging boys, removing them from mainstream wings but also giving them a better regime and psychological input to understand and hopefully improve their behaviour.

“It was early days, but the new mindset offered more hope than the previous unremittingly negative approach to behaviour management,” Mr Clarke added.

Staff at Feltham A were found to be patient, enthusiastic and dedicated, though some accommodation was worn and neglected and more work was needed to instil in the boys the necessary discipline to keep their cells and communal areas clean. Inspectors noted, however, that a large number of looked-after children at Feltham A did not always receive the support to which they were entitled from local authorities, in particular in ensuring suitable accommodation on release had been secured. Inspectors also urged the prison to tackle a problem with some boys getting into debt through gambling.

Overall, Mr Clarke said:

“There had been excellent progress made at Feltham since the last inspection, and good leadership played a huge role in this achievement. There had been some very good initiatives and, following our last very critical report, it is pleasing to be able to report that there had been some significant investment in Feltham. However, the progress could easily prove to be fragile if investment falls away or leadership loses its focus. Feltham is an institution that over the years has seen peaks and troughs in performance. This latest inspection marks something of a peak after the trough of the previous one in 2017. It would be a great achievement if the improvement turns out not only to be sustainable but to give firm foundations for future improvement.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, said:

“I am very pleased that the Chief Inspector has recognised the hard-work of the Governor and his staff at Feltham, and have acknowledged the real progress they’ve made. Improvements in safety are a step in the right direction and it is always rewarding to hear staff praised for being patient, enthusiastic and dedicated. We are focused on continuing to develop purposeful regimes that focus on the educational needs of the young people in our care at Feltham and across the youth estate.”

– End –

Notes to editors

1. A copy of the full report, published on 9 May 2018, can be found here.
2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. HMYOI Feltham (Feltham A) manages young people on remand and those who have been sentenced by the courts. The original Feltham was built in 1854 as an industrial school and was taken over in 1910 by the Prison Commissioners as their second Borstal institution. The existing building opened as a remand centre in March 1988. The current HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Feltham was formed by the amalgamation of Ashford Remand Centre and Feltham Borstal in 1990/91.
4. This unannounced inspection took place between 20-21 December 2017 (the survey) and 8-12 January 2018 (the visit by inspectors).
5. Please contact John Steele at HM Inspectorate of Prisons on 020 3334 0357 or 07880 787452, or at john.steele@justice.gov.uk, if you would like more information.