Source · IMB Annual Report

Cookham Wood

AI-generated report summary HMYOI Cookham Wood faced significant challenges, including an inhumane regime with consistently low time out of cell, severe staffing shortages, and poor education provision, leading to an 'Urgent Notification' by HMIP. Despite these issues, the healthcare services were commended, and the resettlement team achieved national recognition for their work. Key concerns persist regarding the length of time boys spend on remand, the regime for older young adults, and the impact of staff attrition on overall conditions.

Year: 2023 Published: 15 Feb 2024 Type: Prison · Cat YOI Population: 80 Recommendations: 13 Key concerns Positive findings

Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response · 19 Mar 2024 ↗

Positive findings

AI-generated summary

The IMB strongly agreed with the CQC findings that Cookham Wood's health services were well led, resourced, and caring. Officers were observed putting themselves in harm’s way to protect boys, with many examples of skilled de-escalation. The Substance Misuse team’s preventative work was considered exemplary, focusing on education and counselling. The Resettlement Team received national recognition for ground-breaking initiatives, including increasing ROTL opportunities and improving liaison with adult prisons. Board members found quarterly family days heart-warming and Cookham Wood excellent at arranging private compassionate visits.

Key concerns

11 items

Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated Throughout this year, as last year, the IMB was seriously concerned about the small amounts of time out of cell that boys were offered daily. These were consistently and significantly below acceptable levels – indeed, inhumane, in the IMB’s view.

Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated The IMB judges the length of time that boys have been held on remand to be totally unfair, and in many cases inhumane (over a year held on remand is not uncommon).

Regime/Time Out of Cell There has been a marked increase in the number of 18-year-olds held at Cookham Wood for up to a year (potentially until their 19th birthday) to ease pressure on the adult estate. Cookham Wood does not have a separate programme and regime for adults – and thus their regime is inadequate.

Resettlement/Release Securing accommodation for boys unable to return to their parents on release remains a challenge. It is very important to the boys that their accommodation is arranged and confirmed in a timely way (at the very least, two weeks prior to their release).

Staffing Repeated The attrition rate for officers at Cookham Wood has been very high.

Education/Purposeful Activity Education delivery at Cookham Wood has been very poor.

Estate/Conditions Progress on the landing refurbishment has been slow, with only two landings refurbished and one chained shut for months, awaiting Government Facility Services Ltd (GFSL) to start the work. The Board is particularly concerned about the length of time eight cells on the Cedar resettlement unit have been out of action, pending major repairs.

Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated What urgent steps will Cookham Wood take to ensure a stable and predictable regime for the boys, with improved time out of cell and minimal last-minute changes and cancellations?

Safety What steps will be taken to manage and reduce the separation of boys, and to monitor, review and reduce Keep Apart restrictions?

Staffing Will there be more opportunities for officers to develop their relationships with the boys and to strengthen landing communities? Will personal officer support for the boys be increased and monitored?

Regime/Time Out of Cell Will emotional self-management and problem-solving courses for individuals and groups of boys (e.g. “A-Z”; “Feeling It”; and “JETS” intervention programmes) be re-introduced as part of sentence and remand plans?

Recommendations

13 items · 5 repeated

Recommendation 1

Addressee: Ministry of Justice

When will urgent action take place to enable boys in Cookham Wood to receive a humane regime?

Repeated Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Regime

Recommendation 2

Addressee: Ministry of Justice

When will urgent action take place to reduce court backlogs and thus the length of time children spend on remand before sentencing?

Repeated Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Regime

Recommendation 3

Addressee: Ministry of Justice

When will this group be offered an appropriate regime?

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Regime

Recommendation 4

Addressee: Other — other

When will local authorities improve their communications regarding accommodation to the boys in Cookham Wood?

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Resettlement

Recommendation 5

Addressee: HMPPS

What urgent plans does the YCS have to recruit, train and retain more youth estate officers? What outside support will be provided (e.g. detached duty officers) if Cookham’s officer numbers become dangerously low?

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Staffing

Recommendation 6

Addressee: HMPPS

When will the YCS be able to ensure that boys held in Cookham Wood are offered a humane regime?

Repeated Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Regime

Recommendation 7

Addressee: HMPPS

When will the education provision at Cookham Wood be improved – both in the quantity of teachers available and the number and range of subjects provided (including vocational subjects) – to make sure it delivers an appropriate and consistent range of learning opportunities, differentiated to meet boys’ individual needs?

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Education

Recommendation 8

Addressee: HMPPS

What will the YCS do - and when - to get this much-needed and vital refurbishment back on track?

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Estate