Staff at a young offender institution were found to be struggling to stop boys serving time there from fighting.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons carried out an inspection at HM Prison Cookham Wood in Sir Evelyn Road, Rochester, which looks after 188 boys aged between 15 and 18.

The visit was carried out unannounced between December 10 and 20 last year.

Inspectors reported how staff found it difficult to prevent offenders from fighting, despite the fact that the number of fights recorded was down on the year before.

Between the two inspection periods, there had been 95 assaults on staff, 144 on children and 58 fights.

The report said: "Children we spoke to described the ‘rules of the game’ in relation to fighting: a culture had been established whereby there was an obligation on children to fight with children from a different postcode, gang or wing."

"However, this obligation ceased when a child moved onto the enhanced wing or the resettlement unit.

"Once there, children were ‘allowed’ to socialise with the former enemy because they now shared a desire to protect the enhancements and privileges available to them on these units."

The report recommended prison managers and members of the institute's psychology team should seek to find out more about the young people's propensity to fight.

One of the concerns raised in the report was how much time the young people were able to spend taking part in activities.

The procedures for keeping the young people apart meant offenders could spent almost as much time each day being escorted to and from activities and they did taking part in them.

On average, offenders spent six hours a day out of cells, a figure that inspectors recommended should be increased to 10.

It was found less offenders felt unsafe than those surveyed in 2017; their survey found 10% of the boys felt unsafe, compared with 25% the previous year.

Those surveyed said they felt respected by staff, and inspectors noted evidence of care and compassion from staff, despite the inexperience of some.

'Children described the ‘rules of the game’ in relation to fighting: a culture had been established whereby there was an obligation on children to fight with children from a different postcode, gang or wing.'

Furthermore, it was found living conditions were mostly good, despite a concern amongst inspectors regarding the number of cells covered in graffiti, gang-related signs and “unacceptable images of violence and racism.”

Peter Clarke, HM chief inspector of prisons, said: "We believed Cookham Wood to be an institution that was progressing but not yet to the point where this could be recognised in our healthy prison assessments.

"The institution was nevertheless well led by a governor and team that seemed receptive to innovative ideas and were working hard to support a relatively inexperienced staff group to grow in confidence and competence.

"Priorities for the year ahead remained the reduction in levels of violence and ensuring young people were required to engage in purposeful activity consistently."

Dr Jo Farrar, chief executive of Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, said: "Cookham Wood holds boys with complex needs who have been convicted of serious crimes, so I’m pleased that inspectors have recognised that staff are providing good support and care.

"In these circumstances, it is not unusual for the institution to deal with gang allegiances brought in from the outside, but the Governor and his staff are working hard to manage this.

The Howard League for Penal reform, a charity which aims for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison, condemned the institute's culture of fighting.

The charity runs a free and confidential legal advice line for children and young people in custody.

It said it has received almost 60 calls in the last year either from or on behalf of children in Cookham Wood.

Responding to the results of the report, they said they had heard of instances where a young person was repeatedly refused education for being rude, a mother was refused a visit with her son over a disagreement with staff and a non-English speaking offender who did not have access to a translator.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "No prison is safe for a child, and it is shameful that boys as young as 15 are still being locked up in Cookham Wood, where a ‘culture of fighting’ has become the norm.

"What children need is a culture of care – something that a prison cannot provide, no matter how well-led it might be. Everyone knows this, so why are children still being sent there?"

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