Teen offenders tell of initiation

Ethnicity was taken into account for the first time

One in eight teenagers in custody has been put through an initiation ceremony by fellow inmates, a survey of young offenders' institutions suggests.

Such ceremonies are thought to involve attacking staff, starting fires or committing sexual acts.

The Prisons Inspectorate questioned 900 male and female 15 to 18 year olds being held in England and Wales.

It also found ethnic minority inmates were more likely to report insults or assaults by staff than white inmates.

There are marked differences between jails where children feel safe and others where they live in fear Juliet Lyon Prison Reform Trust

When asked whether they had been put through an initiation test by other inmates, 12% of boys and 13% of girls replied that they had.

In two young offender institutions - Brinsford, near Wolverhampton, and New Hall, in West Yorkshire - the figure was 25% or above.

Although the report did not say what the initiation ceremonies involved, they were thought to include dares like letting off alarms, starting fires and attacking staff, as well as sexual activities.

'Unsafe'

Overall more than a third of those in detention, including those on remand, said they felt "unsafe".

But the research found large variations in how safe inmates felt at different institutions.

The voices of children themselves need to be heard Anne Owers Chief Inspector of Prisons

Among girls, the number saying they felt under threat ranged from 89% to 7%.

The responses were for the first time broken down by ethnic origin.

Around 15% of black and Asian male offenders said they had been assaulted by prison officers - almost twice the proportion of white inmates.

Some 70% of white boys felt they had been treated well or very well when they arrived in custody, compared with 52% of black and ethnic minority youths.

'Voice' for children

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "This report shows that there are marked differences between jails where children feel safe and others where they live in fear of being attacked by other young prisoners, or victimised by staff."

She said if the government wanted young people to leave institutions less, not more, likely to offend, it must take immediate action.

It should "bring prisons where children don't report racism, neglect and victimisation into line with those where children feel safe and staff help to prepare them for release", she said.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said the report gave imprisoned children "a voice".

"In other areas of children's services, it is accepted that the voices of children themselves need to be heard," she added.