Nearly 500 assaults were reported at the West Yorkshire youth prison in the past year

A ban on razor blades at a youth prison near Leeds led to inmates making weapons out of door handles, window fittings and fencing, a report has found.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons said children at HMYOI Wetherby carried out nearly 500 assaults over the past year.

Nearly 500 assaults were reported at Wetherby youth prison over the past year, a report found.

placeholder image — Nearly 500 assaults were reported at Wetherby youth prison over the past year, a report found.

Inspectors said young people surveyed felt the new improvised weapons were “more dangerous” than those used previously.

The report, published by Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor, assessed standards at the youth prison, which holds boys aged 12 to 18.

It found safety and education remained “not sufficiently good”, with metal-detecting wands regularly failing to detect metal items carried by detainees.

Physical restraint was used on 71 per cent of children surveyed, while pain-inducing restraint techniques were applied 11 times, the report found.

Inspectors highlighted wide variations in daily life for boys at the facility:

Children taking part in new vocational work initiatives were unlocked for up to 11.5 hours a day.
Detainees held in segregation received an average of just over two hours out of their cells.
Time out of cell dropped to less than four hours at weekends.
Only 21 per cent of inmates praised the food, while 26 per cent said room temperatures were acceptable following heating breakdowns.

The report also criticised support for visiting families, noting the visitors’ centre was regularly closed and lacked basic refreshments, despite most families travelling between 50 and 100 miles.

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However, inspectors praised the prison’s governor for introducing practical work projects such as “Q Branch” maintenance repairs, horticulture and waste management to offset poor classroom education.

The site was also commended for using temporary community release 407 times to assist rehabilitation.

The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.

Wetherby YOI began as a Borstal in 1958, switching to an open youth custody centre and then to a closed youth custody centre before becoming the YOI, housing males aged from 15.

Earlier this year, inspectors warned that violence, weapons and self-harm remain serious issues at the youth prison.

And the YOI come under fire by a judge at Leeds Crown Court, who labelled it “the Wild West”, after several teenagers have been sentenced for attacks.

The Ministry of Justice spokesperson previously said: “Our hard-working staff are trained to work in some of the most challenging environments, but we must keep clamping down on violence across the crisis-hit prisons estate we inherited.

“While more must be done, a three-year plan is in place to improve HMP Wetherby and this year inspectors have noted the impact of strong leadership in delivering a more stable regime."