MORE than £1million could be spent on improving facilities at a Suffolk jail to protect teenage boys who arrive there for the first time.A report published yesterday warned that the first taste of life at Warren Hill prison, Hollesley, was a frightening experience for the youngsters.
MORE than £1million could be spent on improving facilities at a Suffolk jail to protect teenage boys who arrive there for the first time.
A report published yesterday warned that the first taste of life at Warren Hill prison, Hollesley, was a frightening experience for the youngsters.
They sometimes arrived late at night and were left to mix with prisoners undergoing punishment in segregated units until places could be found elsewhere in the prison, the report said. It added the newcomers were often threatened and intimidated.
The annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) has called for a new reception and a first night unit at the prison, which holds a maximum of 222 sentenced and remanded boys aged 15 to 18.
The report warned: “The atmosphere is unsettled and there is sometimes intimidation by shouting by those who have been segregated.
“Despite the efforts of the staff, the experience may be disturbing, frightening and corrupting for new arrivals when they are at their most vulnerable.”
Ken Kan, prison governor, said a first bid for money to build the £1m-plus new reception and first night unit was rejected. A decision on the second bid was awaited.
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