Concerns About Court Custody Facilities In Yorkshire & Northern Lincolnshire
That's the warning from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
There's concern vulnerable people held in court custody in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire are being put at risk - because staff don't have the sufficient skills and time to care for them.
That's the warning from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
A recent inspection raised concerns about the safety of those being held in our region's courts - particuarly childen and those with mental health problems.
They're now recommending impovements be made.
Chief Inspector Nick Hardwick says facilites in Grimsby were of particular concern. He told Viking FM:
"We were concerned about Grimsby because they didn't have a designated officer in charge there and I think that weakened the management. There wasn't a manager in charge and so we thought staff were left too much to their own devices, so people doing what they thought was best and acting on the basis of common sense rather than direction.
"Sometimes there would be a problem happening on the ground and there wasn't clearer enough directions for staff of how to go about dealing with it.
"The biggest problems was a lack of awareness of what to do with the most vulnerable people who were coming into court custody for instance, so children or people with mental health problems.
"Vulnerable detainees - say young children, people who can't speak English and people with mental health problems - they are going to be anxious about what is happening to them and there is a risk that they might hurt themselves in some way or if they are released they might hurt themselves then. Also there is the risk that detainees might be violent to others or staff and those risks weren't being identified either.
“This report raises a range of concerns about safety, risk management and the training needs of staff to enable them to improve the care of people detained in court custody, particularly the most vulnerable. We have made a number of recommendations – some to be resolved nationally – to improve the safety and care of people in court custody.”