Shropshire's Stoke Heath is 'a violent and dangerous place'

The only young offenders institution in Shropshire is "a violent and dangerous place" where inmates gain few of the skills needed to stay out of trouble in later life, prison reform campaigners warned today.

The Howard League for Penal Reform, which campaigns for prison reform and greater use of community sentences, also said Stoke Heath YOI, at Tern Hill, near Market Drayton, does "nothing" to address offender behaviour.

Officials were speaking in the wake of a damning report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Dame Anne Owers (CORR), who said this week the conditions for older inmates were "disappointing".

The YOI is one of only two remaining "split sites" nationwide holding both young adults aged 18 to 21 and young people aged 15 to 17.

Andrew Neilson, assistant director of the Howard League for Penal Reform said: "With reoffending rates so high, it is crucial that children and young people in prison are given access to purposeful activity. "Purposeful activity is crucial to help people turn their lives around and reduces reoffending.

"Stoke Heath prison is a violent and dangerous place and sending young people there to lay on a bunk for a few months does nothing to address their offending behaviour and doesn't equip them with the skills and confidence they need to lead a law abiding life."

In her report, Dame Owers said processes for the reception and support of young adults in the early days in custody were inadequate and that a high proportion of young adults had felt unsafe.

Inspectors also found bad language often went unchallenged while the environment was dirty and uncared-for.

They also criticised a lack of proactive engagement or challenge in the relationship between staff and inmates.

While the report noted that opportunities for work, training and education had increased and were

better managed, access to them for young adults was insufficient to meet need.

In other areas, however, the report made better reading for prison chiefs after inspectors said they were pleased to find the segregation unit was now well run and that on-site health care was in general very good.

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: "I note the concerns the Chief Inspector has outlined in areas like early days in custody, safety, and vocational training provision.

"The Governor and staff will work to address these issues to build a safer and more purposeful environment at the prison."

By Tom Johannsen