Following the release this morning of the Independent Monitoring Board’s annual report into the Cookham Wood young offenders institution which raised serious concerns over safety and decency for children at HMYOI Cookham Wood. The report found “a near total breakdown in behaviour management” and called for a “concerted and urgent response … to make the institution a safe and decent place to hold children”. It also found “fearfulness and an expectation of violence” among the boys at Cookham Wood. And that “Too many boys have stated that they feel unsafe,”.
Campbell Robb, Nacro chief executive, said: “The IMB’s report on Cookham Wood offers a predictable portrait of a failing young offenders institution. Where children are isolated, locked away and denied the support they need to turn their lives around. This is an easy way for young people to quickly lose hope in their lives and future.
Putting children in prison should be an absolute last resort. So as well the need for better conditions inside, more investment on the outside is vital to making sure young people are not ending up in prison in the first place. This means investing in mental health services, diverting young people away from the criminal justice system early on and offering more help to those struggling in school.”
Please visit the Independent Monitoring Board, IMB’s website to read the full report.
Nacro’s comment was featured in a number of news outlets. You can read the BBC article here, ‘Rochester: Cookham Wood young offenders institution called inhumane’.
