National Preventive Mechanism Sixth Annual Report 2014–15 Case study: ‘unemployed disruptive’ In one YOI, an inspection by an NPM member identified that boys were being held in conditions amounting to solitary confinement under an informal regime known as ‘unemployed disruptive’. As a result of disruptive behaviour, boys were isolated in their cells, in many instances for over 22 hours a day. There was no formal governance of the practice, and although a weekly review meeting considered the boys, this was only through a verbal account by wing staff, with no objective assessment. The lack of governance made it hard to identify how long some boys were held under this regime, but it was clear that it could often last several weeks. In some instances, if the perceived risk had decreased, boys would return to a normal regime. In other instances, they might be transferred out of the establishment. Conditions and regime The conditions under which children were isolated varied considerably. In the YOI included in this review, boys held in a separation and care unit were in a poor environment, with an inadequate regime. Although some improvements had been made, the exercise yards were bare and austere, and there was little evidence of any constructive activities. Some boys had been allowed to exercise together, but all of the boys that the NPM member spoke to said they had spent most of their time locked in their cells. Segregation units in YOIs are small wings of single occupancy cells, often containing fixed furniture. The regime for children in these units is basic and, while some have access to televisions, there is little visual stimulation and time out of cell for most is limited to less than an hour a day. Outside of this review, NPM members have frequently criticised the conditions in dedicated segregation units in some YOIs, finding dirty cells covered in graffiti, cells with poor ventilation, dirty toilets, austere exercise yards, and limited access to showers, exercise, education and telephone calls. In several instances, boys have reported boredom or loneliness, spending most of their time sleeping or reading. Good relationships between staff and boys, and frequent visits from chaplains and advocates in some units, have been noted, and NPM members have viewed positively instances where a consistent regime meant boys knew they would always get the time out of cell and activities they were told they would get.76 For boys informally isolated in their cells, conditions also varied. Some cells were grubby and did not have cupboards or shelves, and not all toilets were adequately screened. Since, in most establishments, there were no procedures for monitoring or the governance of such episodes, the duration of isolation, time out of cell, access to, and reintegration to, normal regime depended on the discretion of individual staff. STCs and SCHs do not have dedicated facilities for isolating children, so basic conditions are no different if a child is isolated. As a result, the conditions for children isolated in STCs and SCHs were generally much better than for boys in YOIs. In some instances, 76 HM Inspectorate of Prisons (2014), Report on an announced inspection of HMPYOI Feltham (children and young people) Guys Marsh, by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, 11-15 August 2014; HM Inspectorate of Prisons 2014, Report on an announced inspection of HMPYOI Cookham Wood by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, 9-20 June 2014; HM Inspectorate of Prisons 2013, Report on an announced inspection of HMYOI Warren Hill by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, 5-8 March 2013; HM Inspectorate of Prisons (2015), Report on an unannounced inspection of HMYOI Werrington by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 1-12 September 2014. 32