Almost 900 weapons seized in a year at Yorkshire young offender institute
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Weapons such as sharpened objects and rocks taken from children aged 15-18 at YOI Wetherby. Almost 900 weapons were seized in one year from children detained in a young offender institution in the north of England, a prisons watchdog has found. In its annual report published on Friday into HM young offender institution Wetherby in West Yorkshire, the institution’s independent monitoring board found that children were in possession of a range of improvised weapons. The children told IMB they carried the weapons because they felt unsafe behind bars.
In the report, Catherine Porter, the monitoring board’s chair, said: “Wetherby continues to hold a small but challenging cohort of young people. With 893 weapons found during the reporting year, violence for some appears to be a way of life.”. “This can be seen in the establishment on a daily basis with many making and carrying weapons for their own protection. However, a new governor was appointed in May 2024 and the board is optimistic that the long overdue improvements can at last be implemented,” she added.
The weapons were seized from children aged 15 -18 between September 2023 and August 2024. The weapons included sharpened objects, rocks and deodorant cans contained in socks. Both children and adults sustained injuries as a result of restraint. Over the year, 1,143 restraint incidents were recorded, with 17 incidents where pain-inducing techniques were used, particularly against girls. There were 222 assaults on staff, and 66 needed to attend A&E as a result.
