Inmates locked up for days 'too scared to leave'

YOUNG OFFENDERS FEEL UNSAFE LEAVING CELLS

- PHILIP CORRIGAN News Reporter

INMATES at a young offender institution in the Midlands are locked in their cells for several days because they are too scared to leave.

Inspectors say it is 'completely unacceptable' that some boys at HMYOI Werrington, in Staffordshire, do not leave their cells for days at a time.

They have told the young offenders institution to address the issue as a priority.

An unannounced visit was carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in April.

It came after previous inspections uncovered major problems with safety, with the prison branded the most violent in the country in 2022.

Since then, leaders have 'substantially improved' safeguarding procedures.

But there significant concerns remain that inmates are spending too long locked up and not getting enough education.