Sunday 26 February 2012

It’s Clearly Isn’t That Much Of A Hellhole…

A young offenders institution (YOI) has been criticised for its "extremely high" use of restraint on detainees.
By anyone we should pay any attention to whatsoever?
The Howard League for Penal Reform said there had been an almost nine-fold rise in restraint used in a year at Ashfield YOI.
Ah. Answered that question.
Where non-compliance was used as the reason for restraint, a small sample that was analysed backed up managers' assertions that it was used to prevent fights escalating between young people.
Isn’t that a good thing? It certainly seems to have been a concern of the bleeding hearts…
"In five of six months, failure to obey staff instructions was frequently recorded as the issue leading to the use of force," said Ms Crook.

"Only three years ago the institution recorded
more than 600 attacks on inmates in one year - the highest number of every jail, including adults, in the country.

"This jail has a history of failing children and the public."
Make up your mind, love! Either the guards go hands off and the inmates beat the living daylights out of each other, or they restrain the little darlings to stop them from beating the living daylights out of each other.

Which is it? Or would you rather they weren’t locked up at all? Probably.

But that’d put you at odds with…well, a lot of those inmates:
Staff at Ashfield said many boys did not want to be released when they came to the end of their sentences and some were not welcomed back by their families.

Ashfield's deputy director Gary Willding said: "We had one incident when a group of young people who had left Ashfield went straight to the car park, broke into staff cars and then waited to be arrested, just to get back within custody."
YCMIU…

H/T: CJ Nerd via email

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Odd question this, I know, but has any of the Howard League for Penal Reform actually worked in a jail? Have they ever had to separate the fighting ferals, or had to avoid being attacked? Maybe ever had to mop up the inmates' feces and urine after the kidz decided to "show their anger at society' by messing up their cots?

I suspect until they get rid of the comfy-living, part-time-concerned champagne socialists in their ranks they will continue to be the voice of silliness.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous I think you know the answer to that. I used to be a custody officer in a busy inner SE London nick in the 90's when 'Lay Visitors' were introduced. These busybodies are known by some other title these days. They fitted any stereotype you might conjure for the kind of sad sack that takes such a role - voluntary of course.. There were always reports written at the end of a visit all of which would have to be actioned, more tampons, more toilet rolls, more this, and that and extra that. They did not seem to understand that the client group they were involved with [robbing, thieving drunks, druggies and general scumbags] would lie, beg, do anything in fact to get a break from the monotony of custody as well as take advantage of an opportunity for mischievousness. One told me I had to move a prisoner from a cell he had flooded (bog roll down the toilet), had strewn food and other rubbish around and urinated on his blankets. I told him I was full up, no spare capacity but if he would supervise the prisoner while he cleaned his cell up then he could go back into a clean cell. result? Official complaint made with all that entailed. Another sergeant once said to two of these numpties who attended on a gloriously warm August Bank Holiday late afternoon when we were surprisingly empty but looking forward to a busy night 'don't you have anything better to do on a day like this'? - result complaint. They are tiresome, mostly naive, tossers the lot of them.

jaded said...

Force is the only thing that works on these scumbags.Everything else has been tried and failed.

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, the 'shoot the gun out of their hand' and 'restrain them with a two fingered, entirely non-painful death grip' types, ie. those whose only experience in such cases is watching some Hollywood movie.

I'm a nurse who worked A&E for years and having to explain to some incompetent paper-shuffler that no, having a scrote attempt to shove a knife in my guts whilst I sutured his latest head-injury, I was not able to 'quietly walk away and call the police', no 'I could not calmly explain t him/her', and yes I had to hit him/her and restrain in an arm-lock. Oh and thank you for insisting that I am the one who then, after finishing suturing his head, get to mop the claret he spread all over the floor, ceiling and equipment. Next time I'll let you deal with the feral scum! Oh, but you're much too busy doing all that paperwork (writing to the other idiots who do nothing but write to you).

JuliaM said...

"I suspect until they get rid of the comfy-living, part-time-concerned champagne socialists in their ranks they will continue to be the voice of silliness."

A task that, I suspect, will be even harder than eradicating other introduced pests...

"They fitted any stereotype you might conjure for the kind of sad sack that takes such a role - voluntary of course.."

You confirm my suspicions, Ranter.

"... ie. those whose only experience in such cases is watching some Hollywood movie."

Nothing wrong with American movies! I just usually prefer the ones where the heroes go for a head shot as a first choice. :)

Hexe Froschbein said...

Sounds like those kids are bondage fetishists jonesing for their fix...

Solution: lower the ambient temperature to 5 degree C and make them work.

Santa Fu, the famous Hamburgensian jail sells the goodies the inmates (all lifers) produce online: http://www.santafushop.de/sf_1175__Santa-Fu_Shop__-_heisse_Ware_aus_dem_Knast.htm

It's in German unfortunately, but the cookbook is called: Chicken in handcuffs. The other items are all jail themed, and they are selling very well, especially the 'Stay Clean' bathroom bags that contain the same 'honest goodies' the inmates use.