Prison
Cat YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Cookham Wood
IMB Annual Report 2020 · Published 19 January 2021
The IMB report for HMYOI Cookham Wood covers 1 August 2019 – 31 August 2020, focusing heavily on the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. While staff are commended for their caring approach and efforts to maintain safety and welfare, particularly during initial lockdown, the severe and protracted regime resulted in boys being locked in their rooms for over 23 hours a day, raising significant concerns about inhumane treatment, especially for those in segregation or with mental health issues. Key challenges include the unfit Phoenix segregation unit, national shortages of mental health beds, delays in transferring young adults, and an increasing remand population, all exacerbated by the lack of IT capacity during the pandemic.
Positive Findings
The Board commends staff for their caring approach and success in maintaining safety and calm during initial lockdown, fostering positive officer-boy relationships. Education staff showed great creativity in remote provision, and attendance was high when classes resumed. The establishment offers excellent ROTL opportunities, and has well-resourced, accessible healthcare teams. Multi-agency support for vulnerable boys and proactive welfare checks were effective.
Key Concerns
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The Phoenix segregation unit is unfit for purpose. The Board has serious concerns about the impact of the segregation regime, including the accommodation and facilities, on the boys who are held there. The Phoenix segregation unit is a depressing and inhumane environment... The block has poor insulation, so rooms become very hot in summer and very cold in the winter months. The rooms there are basic and do not have individual showers or telephones.
Segregation
There is a significant sub-group of the prison population who have endured extremely long stays in segregation (some for more than 90 days), with boys isolated in their rooms for up to 23 hours a day and, at worst, facing a three-officer unlock in full body armour/personal protective equipment (PPE) – so, even when their room door is opened, they experience the barest of human contact.
Mental Health
Repeated
The chronic lack of secure mental health hospital beds nationally for children has resulted in boys with significant mental health issues being placed in Cookham Wood for several months, which the Board considers inhumane. The boys do not receive the therapeutic treatment they need, and, at worst, they will be on a three-officer unlock with staff in full PPE.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
A significant number of boys aged 18+, with long sentences and complex needs, waited months for their transfer to young adult YOIs. There are no agreed pathways for transferring 18-year-olds, and no central Youth Custody Service team charged with making judgements about when and where they should move. This has resulted in adult prisoners – including those convicted of sexual offences and those exhibiting high levels of violence or with strong gang affiliations – being held in segregation at Cookham Wood.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The lockdown introduced in March 2020 meant that boys were locked in their rooms for over 23 hours per day – the most severe lockdown of any YOI nationally. Such a period of segregation contravenes the Mandela rules.
Other
The percentage of boys at Cookham Wood who are there while being held on remand has increased over the reporting year. An urgent review of court procedures is required, to avoid children enduring long periods in prison while being held on remand – with the potential for at least some of them being found ‘not guilty’ at the end of their long stay on remand.
Other
The lockdown highlighted Cookham Wood’s serious lack of IT facilities and telephone capacity. This greatly inhibited effective communication and planning with external agencies.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Currently, prisoners are not allowed to start an apprenticeship.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staff are noted for their caring approach and fair treatment, with relationships improving during lockdown due to increased personal support and daily welfare checks. However, the Board noted a previous shortfall in band 3 officers and a recruitment freeze, impacting regime consistency, though this improved with transfers from Medway STC. The heavy demands of managing complex and violent boys, sometimes requiring three-officer unlocks, drain staff and strain resources.
Healthcare
Healthcare services are generally well-resourced, highly committed, and accessible, with positive feedback from boys and inspectors. The health and wellbeing team is particularly strong, with 22 staff offering diverse skills and developing a holistic, psychologically informed approach, including excellent support during lockdown. However, a significant concern remains the national shortage of secure mental health beds, forcing the YOI to house boys with complex mental health needs in unsuitable segregation, where they do not receive appropriate therapeutic treatment.
Regime & Daily Life
The regime improved steadily from October 2019 to March 2020, achieving a full timetable including dining out and evening association, after earlier inconsistencies due to staffing. However, the COVID-19 lockdown severely restricted the regime from March, limiting boys to two 20-minute sessions out of cell daily for two months, contravening Mandela rules. Boys ate all meals in their cells, and face-to-face education and visits ceased, leading to concerns about solitary confinement and long-term mental health implications.
Recommendations (13)
Ministry of Justice: 5
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 4
5 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
There is a chronic lack of secure mental health hospital beds for children nationally, and the time taken to transfer boys with significant mental health issues to hospital from a YOI is inhumane. What urgent steps will be taken to work with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health to provide more secure mental health services for children?
Ministry of Justice
Mental Health
Recommendation 2
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
There have been several occasions when boys with long sentences, who have reached the age of 18 years, have remained at Cookham Wood for a period of months, instead of being moved to a YOI facility for 18–21-year-olds. This situation has been exacerbated when the boys have been kept in segregation for safety reasons. The delay in organising transfers to the adult estate in such cases is inhumane. Sentence planning is required to ensure that young adults do not get stuck in YOIs pending transfer to the young adult estate.
Ministry of Justice
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
The percentage of boys at Cookham Wood who are there while being held on remand has increased over the reporting year. An urgent review of court procedures is required, to avoid children enduring long periods in prison while being held on remand – with the potential for at least some of them being found ‘not guilty’ at the end of their long stay on remand.
Ministry of Justice
Other
Recommendation 4
During the lockdown period, boys at Cookham Wood were subjected to a severe regime and were locked in their rooms for up to 23 hours a day. Such a period of segregation contravenes the Mandela rules. A return to a full regime of time out of room for education, physical exercise, dining out and association must be introduced as soon as possible.
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Recommendation 5
Currently, prisoners are not allowed to start an apprenticeship. Will the Ministry of Justice allow boys who would like to start an apprenticeship to do so while they are still in prison?
Ministry of Justice
Education
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The YCS should provide additional care plus end-to-end sentence planning and support for long-sentence boys - with regard to whether young adult institutions (specifically, Aylesbury, Deerbolt and Swinfen Hall) have the capacity to accept an increasing number of 18-year-olds transitioning from juvenile YOIs What steps will be taken to arrange transfers to the adult estate for young adults who are aged 18+ and have long sentences and/or complex needs – some of whom have been held inhumanely for long periods in segregation while other institutions refuse to take them? Additional care and support is needed for long-sentence boys (specifically those with extended or life sentences). Violent and/or disruptive 18-year-olds in YOIs can become ‘stuck’ in segregation awaiting transfer. Is there end-to-end sentence planning and support for these boys? Do they carry their sentence plan with them when they transition to a young adult institution? Or do they have to start afresh?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 7
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What will be done to either improve the inhumane Phoenix CSU, or remove it from use?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 8
The lockdown highlighted Cookham Wood’s serious lack of IT facilities and telephone capacity. This greatly inhibited effective communication and planning with external agencies. What will be done to increase IT and telephone communication facilities in YOIs?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 9
At the end of August, there were no plans to return to full-time education at Cookham Wood from the beginning of September – as has been deemed a national priority for all other children nationally. When will the YCS allow full-time education to resume for boys in Cookham Wood?
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 10
As the lockdown eases and a fuller regime is offered, there will be more opportunities for boy-on-boy assaults and bullying. How will the behaviour management policy be developed to address this?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 11
When there is a full education timetable again, what will be done to maintain a high level of attendance at classes?
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 12
What is the plan and timescale for the provision of full Secure Stairs support for all boys and staff?
Governor / Director
Mental Health
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The CSU is old and has inadequate facilities. What will be done to improve these facilities, or to relocate the unit? In particular, boys in this unit (unlike all the other boys at Cookham Wood) do not have in-cell telephones to speak with their families. Will in-cell telephones be provided in the CSU, and if not, why not?
Governor / Director
Estate
Other IMB Reports for Cookham Wood
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.