London: Inspectors have taken emergency action over the “bleak regime” at a privately run prison for children, after calls to halt the detention of the young inmates in near solitary confinement were ignored. Three inspectorates have issued a rare “urgent notification” to the justice secretary, Robert Buckland, over the continued poor care and leadership at Rainsbrook secure training centre (STC) near Rugby, run by MTC. It is the first time the power has been used since July 2019, and the first time in relation to STCs, which hold 12- to 18-year-olds. The urgent notification requires Buckland to set out how he will address the concerns within 28 days.
During an October inspection, Ofsted, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that, owing to Covid-19 health guidelines, newly admitted children – some as young as 15 – were being locked in their bedrooms for 14 days, and allowed out for only 30 minutes a day. The inspectors said despite assurances that immediate action would be taken, a further monitoring visit in December found little progress had been made. Ministers said they have stopped sending children to Rainsbrook while urgent action was taken.
Read more: Jamie Grierson . Guardian, https://is.gd/7suf3d
