Prison
Cat YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Feltham
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 9 March 2023
HMP/YOI Feltham reported a population of 348 young people and young adults at the end of the reporting year. While physical health and general well-being are met, the prison struggles with serious long-term mental health issues. Safety remains a significant concern, with a notable increase in violence and use of force incidents post-Covid, alongside challenges related to staffing, disrepair of the estate, and the regime's adaptation to larger groups. The IMB identified several key concerns, including inadequate time out of cell, insufficient support for looked after children, and issues with prison fabric and gang culture.
Positive Findings
The Board commends prison staff for their dedication and commitment in caring for complex and vulnerable young people. Prisoners' physical health and general wellbeing needs are met well. A significant achievement was the lifting of the urgent notification on Feltham A, with HMIP noting 'improvement and transformation', praising the Governor and staff's tireless work. Refurbishments on Feltham B have progressed, and a long-standing issue with pigeon faeces in the segregation unit yard has been resolved. The chaplaincy team is proactive, well-regarded by prisoners, and has found innovative ways to connect with and support individuals, even in difficult situations.
Key Concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The amount of time prisoners spend out of their room (TOR), particularly at the weekend, was a cause for concern to the IMB over the reporting period. Not only was the amount of time prisoners spent outside their room an issue, but the way in which TOR is measured makes it very difficult to monitor accurately.
Equality/Diversity
The proportion of young people on Feltham A who have been in the care of the local authority (LACs) is very high. Many are not getting the regular statutory visits they are entitled to from social workers in their local authority. This needs to be rectified. Many young people on Feltham A have moved directly from local authority care with either full care orders or child In need status. This is a serious indictment of the effectiveness of the care system which the government needs to address.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Despite the current refurbishment programme, the fabric of the prison remains a cause for concern. While communal showers have been renovated to a high standard on some residential units on Feltham B, in-room showers cannot be installed there because of inadequate ventilation. The bricks and paints workshops on Feltham B remain in a state of disrepair which has a direct impact on opportunities for prisoners’ rehabilitation. Leaking roofs on some residential units, and particularly on Ibis, have persisted for years. As we have seen in previous years, the protracted nature of the procurement process has led to delays which put refurbishment works at risk at the end of each financial year.
Safety
Following the lifting of the urgent notification and the easing of Covid restrictions, the rolls on both Feltham A and Feltham B are still well below capacity. The IMB is concerned that even with a low roll, prisoners report concerns for their safety when mixing with others. There was a noticeable increase in the level of violence during the last six months of the reporting period. Similarly, the IMB is concerned that gang culture outside the prison should not be mirrored inside Feltham by the practice of housing prisoners with those with whom they most want to associate.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The IMB is concerned with the delay in the involvement of the Social Pantry, which was scheduled to have provided a canteen for staff and training in catering for young adults. Training in catering would have been a welcome reintroduction to the training on offer at Feltham and may have been a route to employment on release. The lack of an on-site canteen for staff can only have a negative effect on morale.
Other
IMB members have significant issues with access to IT facilities, partly due to the change-over to a new computer system. Many IMB members have not been able to access the prison’s IT system for up to a year, and in some cases even longer. This makes recording and reporting our findings extremely inefficient.
Complaints/Property
Prisoners can view information about the IMB on their in-cell laptops, but this information could be improved upon. In particular, the description of the IMB is buried under the heading ‘complaints’ which takes a prisoner to the UK government page. Additionally, there is no online encouragement for prisoners to speak directly to IMB members about their experience of custody.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The establishment faces challenges in adapting to a post-Covid regime, as new officers, many appointed during the pandemic, learn to manage larger groups of prisoners. Staffing levels on Feltham A were consistently low from September 2021 to March 2022, leading to regime cancellations, prisoner frustration, violent behaviour, and low staff morale. By the end of the reporting period, staffing levels were noted as good, and new staff were receiving training. However, many staff lacked pre-Covid experience, making them unaccustomed to delivering a full regime to larger groups.
Healthcare
Prisoners' physical health and general wellbeing needs are met well, though the prison is currently ill-equipped to provide for individuals with serious long-term mental health issues. The healthcare department operated effectively despite a substantial interregnum in leadership. In-cell laptops have facilitated electronic communication, enhancing patient confidentiality. Between October 2021 and May 2022, the outpatient facility recorded 19,140 bookings, with 16,418 attendees, indicating high engagement with services.
Regime & Daily Life
Post-Covid, the transition from small bubbles to large prisoner groups, coupled with new officer recruitment, has led to increased violent incidents and safety concerns, with some young adults reluctant to attend education and workshops. A significant concern is the amount and measurement of time prisoners spend out of their rooms, especially at weekends, which often includes periods of low purposeful activity. Staff shortages have also led to regime cancellations, exacerbating prisoner frustration and contributing to violent behaviour.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 236 | 247 | |
| Assaults/bullying | 89 | 111 | |
| Complaints | 77 | 139 | |
| Dietary | 11 | 18 | |
| Discipline (adjudications) | 30 | 16 | |
| Discrimination | 21 | 25 | |
| Drugs/alcohol | 1 | 3 | |
| Education/training | 40 | 42 | |
| Family/children | 12 | 12 | — |
| Finance/pay | 104 | 133 | |
| Foreign nationals | 64 | 59 | |
| Healthcare | 147 | 138 | |
| IMB issues | 13 | 9 | |
| Legal | 33 | 32 | |
| Miscellaneous | 22 | 14 | |
| Personal property | 149 | 230 | |
| Regime | 106 | 101 | |
| Release/resettlement | 33 | 29 | |
| Security | 6 | 5 | |
| Staff conduct | 18 | 11 | |
| Telephones | 19 | 17 | |
| Visits | 14 | 16 | |
| Work | 14 | 23 | |
| Worship/chaplaincy | 3 | 1 |
Recommendations (7)
Ministry of Justice: 2
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 3
Recommendation 1
How will you ensure that prisoners’ time out of room will be measured in a way that accurately reflects individual prisoner experience, and what measures will you be taking to ensure that the time prisoners spend out of their room in purposeful activity is increased?
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Recommendation 2
Will you discuss with the Youth Justice Board and colleague Ministers how this can be addressed?
Ministry of Justice
Equality
Recommendation 3
What steps will the HMPPS and YCS take to address this moving forward?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 4
What mechanisms are in place to ensure that improvements seen during the pandemic in relation to reduction in violence are not lost following a potential rise in roll? Similarly, the IMB is concerned that gang culture outside the prison should not be mirrored inside Feltham by the practice of housing prisoners with those with whom they most want to associate. What measures are taken to address this?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 5
Can an update be provided on when this project will be up and running?
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 6
What assistance can be given to IMB members to enable better access to technology within the prison so that members can easily access computer systems while onsite?
Governor / Director
Other
Recommendation 7
What can the Prison Service do to raise the profile of the IMB within the new online resources available to prisoners via their prison-issued laptops? Could individual Boards have support to construct their own page specific to its particular presence in an establishment? Additionally, there is no online encouragement for prisoners to speak directly to IMB members about their experience of custody. Could the Prison Service ensure this is included?
HMPPS
Complaints