Today, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) released their report on an unannounced inspection of Feltham Young Offender’s Institute (FYOI) highlighting that the facility had “made excellent progress” since its last inspection, overseeing a big reduction in violence and boys being locked up throughout the school day over the past year. Seema Malhotra MP said it was “positive” but there still remained “a long way to go”.

Seema Malhotra MP, Member for Parliament for Feltham and Heston, welcomed the report but emphasised they is still a long way to go to making the facility fit for purpose:

“They are many positives for FYOI and it is a step forward in the right direction. Credit must go to the staff for their hard work, determination and new initiatives. Their work has seen a reduction of 80% assaults on staff and a third on boys, while in the space of a year boys who were locked up during the school day has dropped from 40% to 17%.

“Yet there is still more to be done in all of these areas, and while progress has been made on lowering violence and segregation, both are levels are still too high, with the segregation unit labelled as “unfit for purpose”.

“The building itself needs huge repairs to both sites and falls far short of what is needed for a modern and effective prison institution. There are serious questions about its viability for the future as a safe host for the boys, staff and visitors.

“What’s clear also is that performance has been hit by decisions made by the Government with the number of officers in FYOI cut from 600 in 2013 to 468 in 2018. A progressive society will look to prioritise rehabilitation, education and safety in the youth justice system with an adequately funded and staffed facility to give young people the second chance in life that they need and reduce costs of crime for us all in the long term.”