Section 2. Background to the report Section 2. Background to the report 2.1 Across the children’s estate, children in YOIs can be separated in various locations, either in a designated separate segregation unit, on a specialist residential unit or on normal location. The table below sets out these locations at each of the five YOIs in England and Wales. 2.2 The Prison Service and others use a variety of definitions to describe situations where children are unable to mix with their peers. These can include segregation under a specific YOI rule (see below), a child’s decision to self-isolate from their peers, the impact of a punishment limiting their access to association and confining them to their cell for long periods, and the effect of a prison running a limited or restricted regime which means that a child is unable to leave their cell. All of these situations can become solitary confinement if a child spends more than 22 hours locked in a cell without any meaningful human interaction (see paragraph 2.6). In this report we use the term ‘separation’ to describe all situations where children are not able to mix with their peers or attend activities in the normal way. Table 1: Where children are separated in YOIs in England and Wales HMYOI Cookham Wood - HMYOI Werrington - HMYOI Wetherby and Keppel - HMYOI Feltham A HMYOI Parc segregation unit (Phoenix) the Bridge unit (intended to support separated children to return to a normal regime) on normal location enhanced support unit (Albatross) on normal location T6 segregation unit (intensive support unit) on normal location segregation unit (‘welfare and development enhancement unit’, WADE) on normal location segregation unit (Anson) on normal location Separation policy 2.3 The authority to separate children in YOIs comes from the Young Offender Institution Rules 2000,3 specifically rules 49 and 58. Rule 49: Removal from association 1) 2) 3 4 Where it appears desirable, for the maintenance of good order or discipline [GOOD] or in his own interests, that an inmate should not associate with other inmates, either generally or for particular purposes, the governor may arrange for the inmate’s removal from association accordingly. An inmate shall not be removed under this rule for a period of more than three days without the authority of a member of the board of visitors or of the Secretary of State.4 An authority given under this paragraph shall in the case of a female inmate aged 21 years or over, be for a period not exceeding one month and, in the case of any other inmate, be for a period not exceeding 14 days, but may be renewed from time to time for a like period. Available at <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/3371/made> accessed 24 October 2019. Amendments to Prison Service Instruction 1700 now designate this authority to the governor/director. Separation of children in young offender institutions 11