Feltham Prison and Young Offender Institution

The original Feltham institution was built after 1857 and opened on 1 January 1859{{cite web|title=Providing for children: Feltham Industrial School |url=http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visiting-the-city/archives-and-city-history/london-metropolitan-archives/news-and-events/Pages/Feltham-Industrial-School.aspx |publisher=City of London |access-date=18 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304232309/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visiting-the-city/archives-and-city-history/london-metropolitan-archives/news-and-events/Pages/Feltham-Industrial-School.aspx |archive-date=4 March 2013 }} as an Industrial School and was taken over in 1910 by the Prison Commissioners as their second Borstal institution. The existing building opened as a Remand Centre in March 1988.{{Cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder/feltham|title = Feltham Young Offender Institution| date=19 April 2024 }}

The current institution was formed in 1991 as a result of a merger between Feltham Borstal and the Ashford Remand Centre. It is managed directly by His Majesty's Prison Service, rather than management being contracted out to a private firm.

Publicity of a pre-2005 wave of violence at the Institution was coupled with alleged racism amongst certain officers. These reports took as case-in-point the murder of Zahid Mubarek by racist cellmate Robert Stewart on the day Mubarek was due for release.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1017731.stm |work=BBC News| title=Report rebukes youth jail | date=11 November 2000}}{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4105235.stm |work=BBC News| title='Widespread racism' at facility | date=22 December 2004}} Proposals made to distance HMP Feltham from its reputation included a renaming such as to 'HMP Bedfont Lakes'; receiving scant support.{{Cite web|url=http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/felt99.html |title=HM YOI & RC Feltham: report of a short unannounced inspection |date=23 November 2004 |access-date=28 December 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041123063431/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/felt99.html |archive-date=23 November 2004 }} The site falls in the parish (and thus historic civil parish) of Feltham, rather than Bedfont.[https://www.achurchnearyou.com/search/?lat=51.44&lon=-.438 Traditional Parish Map] Church of England

An inspection by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons was made in May 2005. The 2005 Report highlighted the progress made and praised the effective reception and induction procedures, the Outreach Team that deal with self-harm issues and the measures in place to deal with race relations issues. Voluntary sector work takes place within Feltham; its Voluntary Sector Co-ordinator manages performance of more than 25 agencies for those convicted and placed on remand (detained pending a trial).

Another inspection was made in July 2013 which was critical of what was considered "an excessive use of force" by prison staff in some incidents which had taken place in 2012 and "unacceptably high levels of violence" in the institution. The Howard League for Penal Reform said that the report revealed the prison to be a "frightening, violent, ineffective and astoundingly costly institution".{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jul/10/prisons-watchdog-batons-youth-jail|title=Feltham young offenders institute condemned for violence and baton-use|last1=Travis|first1=Alan|date=10 July 2013|last2=editor|first2=home affairs|newspaper=The Guardian|issn=0261-3077|access-date=28 December 2016}}

On 4 September 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced that it was undertaking a feasibility study on replacing the existing buildings at Feltham with a new larger adult prison and youth detention centre.{{cite web|author=Nicholas Cecil Mark Blunden |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/feltham-young-offenders-institution-to-be-replaced-with-adult-prison-8797666.html |title=Feltham young offenders institution to be replaced with adult prison |work=London Evening Standard |date=29 July 2013 |access-date=5 September 2013}}

A 2014 inspection of the prison found that progress had been made in some areas but there were still some major concerns such as levels of violence remaining high, although with fewer incidents than previously, and prisoners having a lack of activities available and being kept locked up in cells for long periods.{{Cite web|url=https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/media/press-releases/2015/01/hmpyio-feltham-significant-improvements-but-still-major-concerns/|title=HMP/YOI Feltham – significant improvements, but still major concerns|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|access-date=28 December 2016}}

The prison is making inroads towards pacifying inmates with violence indicators who self-identify as violent gang members and behave, initially, accordingly. Among three ex-prisoners who came forward to the BBC in 2015, one reported seeing another having his head being stamped on.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30793507 Life inside Feltham: 'I saw people's heads stamped on'] BBC 13 January 2015 Feltham in 2015 was the most violent prison in England and Wales having hosted 894 attacks/fights so serious and demonstrable that proportionate, prescribed, legal punishments were imposed.[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/britains-top-10-most-violent-8434426] 17 July 2016 citing statistics for last (financial) year. Among these, inmates who have committed acts of violence may be kept in their own accommodation for 23 hours a day, seeing one hour free from solitary confinement. Officers knew of 48 gangs in 2015 among "the teenagers" (changing population) of Feltham's interned.

Adults and juveniles occupy different residential units on different sides of the prison. Units housing young adult offenders hold approximately 56 prisoners. Units housing juveniles hold 30 prisoners.{{Cite web|url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder/feltham|title = Feltham Young Offender Institution| date=19 April 2024 }} Almost all the juvenile rooms are for single occupation. There is a mixture of double and single accommodation for adults (mostly double). All rooms have integral sanitation and TV and all areas operate the IEP scheme (incentives and earned privilege scheme).

The prison's regime includes education (full/part-time), workshops, vocational training in the construction industry, farms and gardens, works, and NVQs. Various types of offending behaviour groups are available. Other features include the use of voluntary agencies, one-to-one teaching, substance misuse work, and pre-release courses.

An unannounced inspection of 2017 found that the juvenile units, taken together were not safe for either staff or boys, and that violence had increased in the section for older young men; prompting a Commons debate. A serious assault on a staff member took place during the inspection. The prison was criticised for the 23-hour detention, in that although exercise was possible, showers were not on those days, and sought to improve this. Health care was good and mental health care impressive. Efforts to resettle offenders back in the community after release were also good.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40443533 Feltham young offenders institution 'not safe for staff or boys'] 30 June 2017, BBC

According to a July 2024 report by His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, HMP Feltham A, the prison's youth facility which houses inmates as young as 15 years old, is the most violent prison in all of England and Wales.{{cite magazine |last= Cobb|first= Emily|date=16 July 2024 |title= Report reveals youth prison HMP Feltham A to be the 'most violent prison' in England and Wales|url=https://www.thejusticegap.com/report-reveals-youth-prison-hmp-feltham-a-to-be-the-most-violent-prison-in-england-and-wales/ |magazine=The Justice Gap |location= |publisher= |access-date=25 July 2024}}

• Mark Acklom, conman and fraudster{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Mohammad Amir, cricketer convicted for his part in the Pakistan cricket spot-fixing controversy.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15573463|title=Salman Butt and Pakistan bowlers jailed for no-ball plot|date=3 November 2011|work=BBC News|access-date=4 November 2011}}
• Ghetts, well-renowned grime artist was sent to Feltham for robbery aged 16, when he was released in 2003 he immediately began pursuing a musical career.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• J Hus, rapper.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/may/25/rapper-j-hus-i-was-doughnut-hustler-common-sense|title=Rapper J Hus: 'I was a doughnut hustler!'|website=TheGuardian.com |date=25 May 2017}}
• Zahid Mubarek, inmate murdered by his cellmate at Feltham.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/09/mubarek-amin-my-son-zahid-was-murdered-by-racist-we-are-monster|title=Mubarek Amin: 'My son was murdered by a racist'|website=TheGuardian.com |date=9 May 2015}}
• Lee Murray, mixed martial arts fighter jailed for 10 years for masterminding a 2006 £53 million armed raid.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Oliver Postgate, after he declared himself a conscientious objector (from his early childhood in 1942, former).{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Steve Peregrin Took, musician and songwriter, best known as the percussionist in Tyrannosaurus Rex, convicted in 1969 for possession of drugs. His account of his time detained can be heard on Mick Farren's album Mona - The Carnivorous Circus.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Crazy Titch, grime MC who is currently serving a life sentence for murder.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Topiary (hacktivist), real name, Jake Davis. The spokesperson and PR man of the hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec. According to his Twitter feed, Davis was sent to Feltham and served 37 days.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber" who pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, is alleged to have converted to Islam whilst serving time in Feltham.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/28/september11.race|title = Keme Nzerem: At school with the shoe bomber| website=TheGuardian.com |date = 28 February 2002}}
• Sneakbo, rapper from Brixton, served time in Feltham for threatening a woman.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• SJ, or Jayden O'Neil Crichlow, rapper from OFB, is currently serving time.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Digga D, rapper.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Sneakz, or Shane Lyons, a cold rapper from NPK.

• Hard-Fi track Feltham is Singing Out refers to the prisoners.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/may/12/popandrock1|title = Hard-Fi want to be the world's biggest band. But first they have to open a pub in Staines| website=TheGuardian.com |date = 12 May 2006}}
• Grime artist JME refers to Feltham in his track Tottenham.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Televised film Scum (1979) typifies the violence of many such institutions before a key stage of national reform, its broadcasting unwillingly was delayed to match that reform.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Frosty's track County Lines featuring OFB rappers Bandokay and Double Lz. Bandokay mentions a person listed above: "Slim Jim just called from Feltham."{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• Silky's track “Sticks and Stones” refers to the Feltham young offenders unit{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.justice.gov.uk/global/contacts/noms/prison-finder/feltham/ Ministry of Justice pages on Feltham] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720041713/http://www.justice.gov.uk/global/contacts/noms/prison-finder/feltham/ |date=20 July 2011 }}
• [http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/?s&location=feltham HMPYOI Feltham – HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports]

{{Prisons in London}}

Feltham

Category:Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Hounslow

Feltham

Category:1910 establishments in England