Loss of liberty is enough punishment – without gang violence

Nigel Williams, 11 July 2013

HM Inspectorate of Prisons has released a pair of reports in July 2013 into the two parts of Feltham, which is both a prison (Feltham B) and a Young Offenders Institution (Feltham A). Everyone held there is male, whether on remand, awaiting sentence or serving their sentences. The majority in Feltham A are sixteen or seventeen. Young men, aged eighteen to twenty-one, are held in Feltham B.

Situated in greater London, both parts have a majority Black and Minority Ethnic population and high levels of religious affiliation. Prison records show over a third as Muslim, which is far above regional norms for that age group, and over half as Christian, which is close to census averages (Census results are Crown Copyright. ‘Not stated’ has been excluded from calculations). Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus were much rarer. When the inspectors surveyed the inmates, they found similar proportions but weighted more toward the Church of England and away from Roman Catholic and other denominations. Only one in nine said they had no religion and no-one asked for a Jedi chaplain. On another aspect of diversity, everyone surveyed at Feltham B described themselves as heterosexual and no-one at Feltham A identified themselves to the equality team as gay.

The biggest problem identified by the reports concerned safety. A substantial proportion of inmates in Feltham A claimed to have been victimised by other inmates (21 per cent) or by staff (30 per cent). The complaints against staff were more commonly about insulting remarks or reacting to complaints but inmates went as far as physical abuse and gang-related issues. Both establishments recorded frequent cases of several residents attacking a single boy or young man. Feltham B experienced 215 fights in the preceding six months. The staff there had also taken out their batons, issued as an extreme defensive measure, on 108 occasions in a year, including twice when boys from the YOI were also present.

Given the history of the residents, the violence might seem predictable. 20 per cent of offences, whether charged or convicted, were for personal violence and a further 20 per cent for robbery. In an environment so restricted that 89 per cent reply to surveys and young men attend worship, the opportunity to act violently appears too tempting. When several youths attack one boy, being part of the group would appeal more than being the one picked on. Feltham A was praised for its skill separating people that were likely to fight. Staff even took personal risks to stop the violence. Nevertheless, the concentration of the most problematic young men and boys appears to be more than the institutions can handle.

Prison is never intended to be enjoyable. However, deprivation of liberty has to be enough of a punishment by itself. It does not need to be augmented by living in a prison ‘overrun with rodents’ or diminished by giving some of the worse offenders the opportunity to settle old scores with violence. The report urges the National Offender Management Service to reconsider the role of Feltham B and find a safer and more constructive way of keeping large numbers of young adults in custody. Even in a prison, suspects and offenders need to be surrounded with examples of how society wishes them to behave after their release.