Howard League responds to Feltham ‘A’ prison inspection

The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on Feltham prison, published today (Tuesday 16 July). The report considers the ‘A’ part of the prison, which holds boys aged 18 and under.

Inspectors visited the London prison in March 2024 and found very high levels of violence and use of force, increased self-harm, and a concerningly prolonged segregation of children.

Whilst inspectors found hardworking, dedicated staff doing their best, children were not safe enough, were locked in their cells for far too long and the provision of education was inadequate.

Violence was found to be at the root of most challenges in the prison, with children afraid to have their families visit out of fear. The prison was found to have the highest levels of violence in the country and the highest use of force across children’s prisons. Staff had issued 266 ‘keep apart’ instructions to separate children to prevent fighting, despite the prison only holding 84 boys, which had significant detrimental impact on their ability to attend education, visits and appointments.

The use of segregation was found to have increased significantly. There was also an increase in the lengths of time children spent segregated, with seven children found to have been segregated for over 50 days, and two of them for over 100 days.

Children spent an average of just over four hours out of their cell on weekdays and about 3 hours 40 minutes at weekends in February 2024, against a target set by inspectors of 10 hours every day. Ofsted found the leadership and management of education, and the quality of its provision, to be inadequate.

Instances of self-harm were high but there was no understanding of the main causes or trends, nor was there a strategic plan to reduce the levels of self-harm.

Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Over a decade ago, the then-Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, said he would be ‘terrified’ if his children were sent to Feltham. The prison was so violent that the Ministry of Justice announced it would be closed.

“Yet here we are, all these years on, and Feltham is still open and more violent than ever. This is a damning indictment of the prison system, as the capacity issues seen in the adult estate are not present in children’s prisons.

“Prison is no place for a child. Let us hope that the new ministers in place at the Ministry of Justice take action to close Feltham for good.”

Notes to editors

1. The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the world. It is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.
2. Over a decade ago, the Ministry of Justice announced the planned closure of Feltham. Despite this, the prison remains open with appalling conditions: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/feltham-young-offenders-institution-to-be-replaced-with-adult-prison-8797666.html
3. The inspection report for Feltham prison will be available on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/our-reports/

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