A mum has shared her concern over her son's safety in a prison once dubbed 'England's most violent'. The worried parent claims conditions at HM Prison Werrington are 'unsafe'.
The son, who is said to have been imprisoned at the Young Offenders Institution for 10 weeks has relayed to his mother that he has witness several fights since he was incarcerated. The Werrington Juvenile Centre was last year called the 'most violent prison in England', reports Stoke-on-TrentLive.
The prison, which says violence is now at the lowest level in a year, is a 'sham' according to the mother who cannot be identified for legal purposes.
She told Stoke-on-TrentLive: "I am speaking out for all the parents. My son has been in there for 10 weeks. There seems to be no control over the young offenders. All of the fights, it appears like they just let them happen.
"Something needs to be done as soon as possible. It is worrying for my son in there. It is simply not a safe place. It is a sham, there needs to be proper rules and regulations.
"There was one incident my son told me about where there was an education class. There were two boys who started on someone. No-one stepped in, the person giving the class just stood there. They just let it happen. Two of the prison guards had to come in.
"It is not safe for children. We are pushing for bail and getting him out of there. We could get a call saying that he is dead. That is how concerned I am that he is in there."
Figures show that in the final six months of 2021, there were 105 reported assaults among children and 82 assaults on prison staff, with 31 youngsters ending up in hospital as a result. Almost 400 weapons had been found within the youth facility in the 12 months prior.
A youth custody service spokesman said in response: "We are taking action to improve safety at HMYOI Werrington – including bolstering our conflict resolution team – and violent incidents are at their lowest level in over a year.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
