Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Accepted in Part
Set statutory minimum for time out of cell in Young Offender Institutions, with data published
Recommendation
As well as making every effort to meet the statutory minimum of 15 hours for education, HMPPS must set a statutory minimum for time out of cell in Young Offender Institutions. As with adult prisons, this minimum must be monitored centrally using formalised and standardised data, which should also be published for accountability purposes, and HMPPS must provide urgent support to enable compliance. The Government must make it clear that any such target for time out of cell is a minimum, and not a maximum. (Recommendation, Paragraph 121) Prison Education
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts, committing to consider introducing a statutory minimum for time out of cell in legislation and assess its effectiveness, while noting the Youth Custody Service already works to an 8-hour daily expectation which is centrally monitored, though not consistently met across all sites.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
Partially Accept. We are committed to ensuring that children have the maximum possible time out of their rooms. We will consider introducing a statutory minimum for time out of room in legislation, and will assess whether legislation is the most effective means to achieve this objective. The Youth Custody Service (YCS) already work to an expectation of providing each child with 8-hour time out of room per day, as part of its three-year roadmap to effective practice. Time out of room is monitored centrally on a regular basis and is improving at a steady state across all sites. Balancing a cohort with increasingly violent offences and the need to keep all children safe through complex keep-apart processes, is often the main barrier to meeting this minimum. This 8-hour minimum per day is currently met in Secure Children’s Homes, Oakhill Secure Training Centre and Parc YOI. Although Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby are not achieving this as an average, they do have children who are out of their rooms for 8 hours or more.