Wetherby Young Offender Institute the worst in UK for violence, stats show
A judge recently labelled the prison as “the Wild West”
Alarming statistics show Wetherby Young Offenders Institute is the most violent children’s prison in the UK, and is getting worse.
Government data puts the West Yorkshire institution at the top of the table in terms of the rates of assaults and altercations between inmates and on staff.
It comes after a stream of incidents having reached Leeds Crown Court this year, with one judge even labelling the prison as “the Wild West” due to the obvious scale of the violence.
One case suggested it was so extreme that new inmates are persuaded to join gangs for protection.
There have been numerous stabbings using makeshift weapons, such as sharpened toothbrushes. Among those involved are teenagers who have been sentenced to serious crimes, such as murder.
Figures from the Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate report show that between January and December 2024 and the same months in 2025, incident rates climbed from nearly 372 per 100 children, to more than 410 per 100 children.
From April 2025 to March 2026, there have been 433 incidents per 100 children.
This is an increase of almost 20% from the stats in 2024.
Wetherby is one of four YOIs in the UK, with others based in Feltham in London, Parc in Bridgend, South Wales, and Werrington in Staffordshire.
By comparison to Wetherby’s 433 incidents per 100 children, Feltham reported 364, Werrington with 346 and Parc with 300.
It puts Wetherby worryingly well ahead of the others.
In February, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons found high levels of violence, frequent weapon discoveries, and weak staff-child relationships.
Just last month, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons highlighted further concerns about the use of makeshift weapons by inmates.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) 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."
Formerly a Borstal, Wetherby is a juvenile prison, housing inmates aged between 15 and 18 years.
The MoJ says the population of children in custody has reduced drastically in the last 20 years, to an average of around 400 children under 18 in custody at any one time.
They suggest the impact of a smaller population is that the children have more complex needs and are in custody for more serious crimes.
The MoJ says there are now “thorough reviews” of all incidents while staff use more body-worn cameras and closely analyse footage
They say their three-year plan has seen more team leaders utilised, reduced “keep-apart” arrangements for inmates, a new incentive scheme to promote better behaviour and attempts to resolve conflict earlier to prevent violence.