Ashfield inspectorate report: drastic increase in the use of force

The chief inspector of prisons has published a report on Ashfield today and yet again there are serious problems in this huge private jail holding children.

Last time the inspector called the jail had had half the children removed so it could sort itself out, and this time it was still operating well below capacity. Yet, over a third of the boys said they felt unsafe and a quarter said they didn’t get a daily shower. All children were subjected a strip search when they first arrive at the prison – imagine having come spent the day in court and being told you are going to prison, spending several hours shut in a sweatbox and driven half way round the country to be greeted by the instruction to take your clothes off. And remember that many of these boys have been sexually abused by adults.

Again the use of physical violence by the institution to get the boys to comply was recorded as “extremely high” with 150 incidents a month. Some 16% of the boys said they had been repeatedly restrained by staff. In addition to the use of force by staff, the prison uses solitary confinement and formal punishments to control children.

One of my biggest worries is that 83% of the children who completed the confidential survey undertaken by the chief inspector said that they had been prevented from making a complaint. This is shocking because traditionally this cohort of young people come from neglectful and challenging backgrounds and they expect poor treatment so they rarely complain through formal channels. To find that so many wanted to complain but were prevented is shameful.

Serco runs this prison for profit. They lock up hundreds of boys each day, thousands over a year, and they make money for doing this. It is morally repellent, counter-productive for victims and the community, and it is bad for children.

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February 17, 2012 · Frances Crook · No Comments
Posted in: Children and young people, Prisons, Uncategorized