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Thematic inspection of YOTs and public protection

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
DOI10.1177/0264550518756527a
Date01 March 2018
Published date01 March 2018
Subject MatterResearch & reports
PRB756527 101..104 102
Probation Journal 65(1)
be poor. Many in-cell toilets lacked lids and had no appropriate screening, resulting in
bacteria from the toilet being sprayed into the cell when the toilet was flushed. This was
of particular concern for prisoners who were forced to eat in their cell in close proximity
to toilets. Prisoners fashioned improvised toilet lids from cardboard, wooden boards,
pil owcases or food trays. Prisoners complained of the humiliation and lack of dignity in
having to defecate feet away from their cellmate on an unscreened toilet.
The report concludes with a number of recommendations on overcrowding, liv-
ing space per prisoner and the physical conditions and facilities appropriate for
everyday life in cells. The whole report is well worth reading and will give practi-
tioners an idea of the challenges that their clients will face in custody and which may
affect their ability to engage with rehabilitative activities.
Life in Prison: Living Conditions A findings paper by HM Inspectorate of Prisons
(October 2017) is available in full at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/
hmiprisons/inspections/life-in-prison-living-conditions/
Mark Harvey
National Probation Service (NW)
Thematic inspection of YOTs and public protection
Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) are multi-agency partnerships, comprising police,
probation, local authority social care and education, and health services. There are
152 YOTs in England and Wales, supervising 10 to 18-year-olds who have been
sentenced in court, and those deemed at risk of offending. YOTs also work with
victims. YOTs use a comprehensive assessment and risk and vulnerability assess-
ment tool called Asset Plus, which is the youth justice equivalent of the probation
OASys assessment tool.
In all, 115 cases were inspected of young people who had committed violent or
sexual offences, or where other public protection risks had been identified. Of
these, 81 per cent had experienced trauma and 41 per cent had witnessed or
committed domestic...

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