Recommendation 1
The Board would like to know what the long-term plans are for young female prisoners.
Source · IMB Annual Report
Wetherby
AI-generated report summary HMYOI Wetherby faced significant challenges during the reporting year, including persistent staffing shortages which severely impacted the regime, leading to limited time out of cell, particularly in evenings. The Board noted concerning levels of violence, self-harm, and the continued problem of weapon creation. Additionally, there were unacceptable delays in transferring young people with complex mental health needs and significant evidence of racism. Despite these challenges, the Board commended positive staff-young person relationships, good physical healthcare provision, and welcome investments in the estate and engaging educational programs.
Year: 2022
Published: 2 Feb 2023
Type: Prison · Cat YOI
Population: 156
Recommendations: 9
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT cases opened | 190 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 215 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 100 | — |
| Use of force | 1,179 | — |
| Drug finds | 82 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryHMYOI Wetherby maintains positive staff-young person relationships and provides good physical healthcare, commended by CQC. There's welcome investment in the estate, including in-cell showers and technology. Education offers successful practical courses, and notable initiatives support young people's activities and family contact, such as the Three Peaks Challenge and in-cell telephones. Reception management is efficient, and ACCT processes provide good support to young people.
Key concerns
The continued chronic lack of secure mental health hospital beds resulting in lengthy delays for young people who require such provision.
Violence reduction, both in the community and within the juvenile estate.
Recruitment and retention of all staff is difficult. Many of those who apply for the youth justice worker post are frustrated that the job description does not equate with the role they subsequently find themselves in.
Time out of room has not significantly improved throughout the reporting year, remaining disappointingly limited, particularly in the evenings and at weekends.
The number, the severity, consistency and intensity of acts of self-harm, particularly on Keppel unit, remain of huge concern.
There has been no solution to the creation of weapons from anything to hand, and their use in assaults, sometimes causing serious injury, since last year’s report.
Substance misuse has not been prevalent at Wetherby in previous years. However, there has been a significant number of positive mandatory drug tests this year.
Delay in arranging and signing off on a new contract with the educational provider (Novus), contributing to low staff morale and high turnover of teaching personnel.
The Board recognises the efforts made by the prison to ensure equality and fair treatment of the diverse population. However, there is significant evidence of racism in Wetherby. In a recent survey, 32% of young people say they have been subject to racist abuse at Wetherby and, of those that complained, 71% were unhappy with the outcome of their complaint.
Whilst there are delays in routine dental appointments, any young person who requires emergency dental treatment can be seen promptly.
When young people arrive at Wetherby their property is taken to be X-rayed. As the prison does not have an X-ray machine the property needs to be transported to a nearby prison but staff shortages can result in there being nobody to take it. Also, staff shortages at the receiving prison can mean there is nobody to X-ray the property, causing long delays. This results in the young people having to wait for a prolonged period for their property and they make many complaints.
Access to education whilst in segregation is not sufficient or appropriate. There is a single dedicated teacher who works on the separation unit regardless of the number of young people placed there. So, if numbers are high, the teacher has limited time for each young person.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1
Recruitment and retention of officers is a serious problem. What are the short- and long-term plans to address this?
Recommendation 1
What is being done to tackle the level of violent behaviour perpetrated by young people at Wetherby?
Recommendation 2
Can the Minister reassure the Board, and the wider society, that serious and violent crime remains a priority for the Government and other agencies? How will the outcomes of any initiatives be reviewed?
Recommendation 2
It is a fact that outcomes for prisoners are better when contact with families can be maintained. With the diversion of young people from Werrington this year for operational reasons, and also the placement of girls in 2021, there is an increasing number of young people who are actually more than 50 miles from their home.
What, if anything, is being done to reverse this practice?
What, if anything, is being done to reverse this practice?
Recommendation 2
There has been much talk of Wetherby having its own X-ray machine. Is that likely to happen, and if so, when?
Recommendation 3
Why are assaults on prison staff not dealt with on a par with emergency service workers?
Recommendation 3
How do you plan to reintroduce them? (custody support plan sessions)
Recommendation 4
At the time of our report 74 young people were on an education and health care plan (EHCP) prior to coming into Wetherby. On entry to custody all EHCPs automatically end. The additional money to which they were entitled could be well spent, providing much needed one-to-one support or specialist equipment to enhance their learning.
Who made this decision and why?
Who made this decision and why?
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 45 | 38 |
| Adjudication | 7 | 2 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 1 |
| Other | 19 | 12 |
| Property | 39 | 24 |
| Resolved on wing | 40 | 33 |
| Security | 4 | 3 |
| Staff care / conduct | 6 | 2 |
| Total | 164 | 115 |
Other reports for Wetherby
Population 119
· Self-harm 699
· Concerns
Population 150
· Self-harm 1,163
· Concerns
Population 168
· Concerns
Population 164
· Self-harm 646
· Concerns
Population 197
· Concerns