Young offender institutions (YOI; more formally His Majesty's Young Offenders Institutions or HMYOI) are youth detention centres for offenders between ages 15 to 21 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. These offenders will have received a

custodial sentence A custodial sentence is a judicial sentence, imposing a punishment consisting of mandatory custody of the convict, either in prison or in some other closed therapeutic or educational institution, such as a reformatory, (maximum security) psychi ...

following criminal offence convictions or may be being held on

remand Remand may refer to: * Remand (court procedure), when an appellate court sends a case back to the trial court or lower appellate court * Pre-trial detention, detention of a suspect prior to a trial, conviction, or sentencing See also

*''Reman ...

awaiting trial on pending charges. A young offender institution can accommodate between 60 and 400 young people, with each age group housed in its own wing of between 30 and 60 inmates. Most young offender institutions are run by the national prison service while some are run by private companies on behalf of the prison service.

Background

Young offender institutions were introduced under the

Criminal Justice Act 1988 The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (c. 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Title The title of this Act is: Unduly lenient sentences In England and Wales, the Act allows anybody to ask the Attorney General's Office for a sent ...

, but secure institutions specifically intended for young offenders have existed since the beginning of the 20th century: the first

borstal A borstal is a type of youth detention centre. Such a detention centre is more commonly known as a borstal school in India, where they remain in use today. Until the late 20th century, borstals were present in the United Kingdom, several mem ...

opened at

Borstal A borstal is a type of youth detention centre. Such a detention centre is more commonly known as a borstal school in India, where they remain in use today. Until the late 20th century, borstals were present in the United Kingdom, several mem ...

, Kent in 1902. The regime of a young offender institution is similar to that of an adult prison. There are slight differences, notably a lower staff-to-offender

ratio In mathematics, a ratio () shows how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ...

. Prisoners serving sentences at young offender institutions are expected to participate in at least 25 hours of education per week, aimed at behaviour improvement, practical skill development for post-release and employment preparation. There are also opportunities for prisoners to undertake work in Community Service Volunteer programmes.

Issues

Violence is frequently reported in young offender institutions and staff have been criticised for failing to prevent it.

Solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...

is often used, with inmates reportedly often confined to cells for up to 21 hours a day and given little tuition or guidance. At all YOIs during a six-month period there were 306 cases of segregation lasting over a week, which is "very high", with contributory factors including gang involvement, insufficient prison staff and a lack of NHS mental health beds.

Recidivism Recidivism (; from 'recurring', derived from 'again' and 'to fall') is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been trained to Extinction (psycholo ...

rates are high, with up to three quarters of released offenders re-offending within a year. Offenders undergo assessments on the likeliness of reoffending. This assessment is known as Youth level of service.

List of young offender institutions

* HMP & YOI Askham Grange * HMP & YOI Brinsford * HMP & YOI Bronzefield * HMP & YOI Chelmsford * HMYOI Cookham Wood * HMP & YOI Deerbolt * HMP & YOI Drake Hall * HMP & YOI East Sutton Park * HMP & YOI Eastwood Park * HMYOI Feltham * HMP & YOI Foston Hall * HMP & YOI Hatfield * HMP & YOI High Down * HMP & YOI Hindley * HMP & YOI Hollesley Bay * HMP & YOI Hull * HMP & YOI Isis * HMP & YOI Lincoln * HMP & YOI Low Newton * HMP & YOI Moorland * HMP & YOI New Hall * HMP & YOI Norwich * HMP & YOI Parc * HMP & YOI Pentonville * HMYOI Polmont * HMP & YOI Portland * HMP & YOI Prescoed * HMP & YOI Rochester * HMP & YOI Stoke Heath * HMP & YOI Styal * HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall * HMP & YOI Thorn Cross * HMYOI Werrington * HMYOI Wetherby * HMP & YOI Winchester * HMP & YOI Woodhill

References

{{reflist Penal system in England Penal system in Wales 1988 establishments in England 1988 establishments in Wales 1988 in British law Government agencies established in 1988