BAFTA-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern has claimed that staff at young offenders institutes (YOIs) are 'lazy', attributing this to a 'keep-apart' policy that isolates inmates for extended periods. McGovern, whose new BBC drama series is set in a YOI, said he was 'shocked' by the 'appalling' facilities he visited during his research.
McGovern told BBC North West Tonight that young offenders are 'banged up 23 hours a day' due to the keep-apart system, which he believes provides officers with an 'excuse for being lazy'. He dismissed challenges related to staffing and funding, stating that officers should be able to handle fights among offenders.
In response, the Prison Officers' Association (POA) chairman Mark Fairhurst called McGovern's comments 'unfair'. Fairhurst stated that 'keep-aparts' are an essential safety measure in an environment where serious violence is a daily reality, and that staff are 'stretched to breaking point by chronic under-staffing and unmanageable workloads'.
The Ministry of Justice has stated it does not recognise these claims about its 'hardworking prison staff'. The Ministry added that it is committed to giving children in prison more time outside their rooms.