A rise in violence at a prison for 15 to 18-year-olds is due to a lack of learning and failures to identify discrimination, inspectors have found.

In a report published today, the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons said Cookham Wood in Rochester had deteriorated to poor since its last inspection in 2019.

Andrew Neilson of the Howard League for Penal Reform comments on the report's findings

The young offender institution (YOI) holds 87 boys from across south and south-east England, ranging from those recently remanded to those serving indeterminate sentences for the most serious crimes.

When last inspected, concerns were raised that the outcomes for children were not sufficiently good against any of the HM Inspectorate's four tests of a healthy institution.

They have not improved over the last two years and had in fact worsened in the purposeful activity test, where prisoners are able, and expected, to engage in activity that is likely to benefit them, outcomes were now poor.

Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, said: "For an institution providing services to children this inability to address failings was completely unacceptable.

"Admittedly the restrictions imposed by the pandemic had not helped, but it was hard to understand why the institution had not been more ambitious in, for example, providing a better (daily) regime."

Inspectors found parts of the prison where more than half of children were locked in a cell during the school day and typically spent as little as four hours a day out of the cell, and just two hours at weekends.

Mr Taylor said: “We found low morale among staff, low standards, low expectations and a lack of energy and creativity that could engage and motivate children to use their time at Cookham Wood usefully."

The rate of prisoner-on-prisoner violent assaults had increased by nearly 70% since 2019 and was a serious concern.

There were incidents deemed "serious" and attacks by groups on individuals, said inspectors, who also found violence had caused 49 recorded injuries in the previous 12 months, resulting in 29 admissions to hospital accident and emergency departments.

The number of assaults on staff in the previous six months had also risen slightly since the previous inspection. In the 12 months leading up to this inspection, there had been 140 reported assaults on staff, 10 of which had been deemed serious.

Mr Taylor continued: “The response to difficulties between children was invariably limited to keeping them apart, placing further restrictions on the regime.

"Leaders needed to find ways to move beyond this reactive and limiting approach, starting with energetic and motivational engagement with children, as well as the clear demarcation and enforcement of standards.”

A new governor and a further six senior managers had been appointed since 2019 and the governor was beginning to implement a business plan which prioritised reducing violence, the creation of communities of boys and investing in staff.

Mr Taylor added: "These priorities seemed reasonable. Although it was too early to discern progress and we were not convinced that staff were fully aware or engaged with this vision.

"Their engagement was not, however, optional.

“Staff needed clarity about what was expected of them and leaders needed to show greater rigour in ensuring policies were understood and delivered.

"Poor practice and behaviour needed to be challenged consistently, and staff needed to make sure basic standards were maintained.”

A key concern of the inspector was that children were not able to access enough hours or a broad enough range of face-to-face education, and many were justifiably frustrated that they had too few in-cell learning tasks to complete.

The promotion of equality and diversity also remained weak and investigations into discrimination following receipt of incident report forms were poor and some did not take place at all.

However, medicines management and oversight, safeguarding and the children’s perceptions of safety had all improved.

In conclusion, Mr Taylor said: “We encourage close scrutiny by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), and the provision of support to assist the new governor of Cookham Wood.

"There needs to be a shared and collective determination that establishes how and when improvements will be made.”

The oldest penal reform charity in the world – working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison – criticised prison bosses, saying the Inspectorate of Prisons’ report showed Cookham Wood was "no place for a child".

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “When a child is in trouble, we should do all we can to keep them safe, guide them away from crime and give them a brighter future.

“This does not happen in Cookham Wood, where boys are held in their cells for hours on end and exposed to violence and abuse.

"Even when the prison is only half-full, the environment is so toxic as to create more crime and distress. It is no place for a child.

“It is time for a new approach that stops children being hurt and helps them to realise their potential.

"It starts with keeping them out of prison and giving them the care and support they need.”

A youth custody service spokesman said: “Access to education and time out of cells will increase as we lift the remaining pandemic restrictions, which saved thousands of lives.

"But we are taking further immediate action to drive improvement at Cookham Wood - recruiting more staff, reducing capacity, refurbishing the building and improving support for vulnerable prisoners.”

To read the full report click here.

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here

Read more: All the latest news from Kent