YOI Cookham Wood to be turned into adult prison after safety concerns for youths

Young Offender Institution Cookham Wood is to be repurposed as an adult prison after facing criticism over its “violent” culture and long periods spent by juveniles in their cells.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced that the centre in Rochester, Kent, which is used to detain boys aged between 15 and 17, would operate as an adult male prison by the summer with the youth offenders being moved to other secure sites.

According to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons’ report dated April last year, the site which dates back to the 1970s was about two-thirds full and held 77 boys.

The report stated: “The most evident failing at Cookham Wood was the near total breakdown in behaviour management.

“Nearly a quarter of the boys told us they felt unsafe. This was perhaps unsurprising in view of the prevalence of delinquent behaviour and the number of weapons found – more than 200 in the months leading up to the inspection.

“The diffidence and lack of confidence we observed among staff in their dealings with young people suggested that some of them may also have felt unsafe.

“Inspectors witnessed repeated examples of intimidating and threatening behaviour by children towards staff, including insulting or pushing past them, which went unaddressed.”

As part of the report, Cookham Wood was issued an Urgent Notification over concerns around the standard of care being provided to young offenders with complex needs.

A MoJ spokesman said that an action plan was established by the Youth Custody Service but added that it had “become clear the further improvements needed cannot be delivered at the scale required in an acceptable time frame”.

The spokesman added: “In a bid to boost to prison capacity the establishment will operate as an adult male prison as early as the summer, while options are being reviewed for its longer-term use.

“Young offenders currently housed at Cookham Wood will be moved to other sites across the secure youth estate to provide the continued support needed for them to turn their backs on crime for good.

“They will be moved on a case-by-case basis, taking into account their specific needs, views from other professionals and the need to maintain family ties.

“These transfers will be done in a supervised manner, in consultation with families and youth offending teams.

“New locations include a Secure School which will open on an adjacent site this spring, the first of its nature delivering a ground-breaking new approach to youth custody that will place education and wellbeing at its heart.”

The MoJ spokesman said the number of children in custody had fallen by nearly 70% in the past decade leaving those who remain in detention having mostly committed violent offences and involve “complex and vulnerable children who require extensive support”.

Prisons and Youth Justice Minister Edward Argar said: “We are transforming the provision of custody for young offenders and over the last decade we have seen a significant fall in young people entering custody.

“Those housed within our youth estate often have very complex needs and have committed violent crime, and Cookham Wood is no longer serving their needs.

“This is why we are announcing plans to move them to sites to offer better support and help turn their backs on a life of crime as well as increase capacity within our adult male estate.”

Welcoming the decision Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “I have repeatedly expressed my deep concerns about the shocking level of violence and poor conditions at Cookham Wood.

“The setting has failed on every single of the four test areas, including safety, on every inspection going back to 2019, so robust action is welcome but overdue.

“During my last visit there, children told my team that the setting was categorically not safe.

“They spoke about their experiences of violence, including stabbings, and their lack of confidence they could be kept safe by those in charge.”