THE government is presiding over a deepening crisis in youth jails, Richard Burgon warned today.

The shadow justice minister’s comments followed the latest report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), which found that one in four boys felt unsafe at Cookham Wood young offender institution (YOI) near Rochester in Kent.

Though assaults on staff at the facility have decreased, overall violence was higher at the time of the inspection in August.

Some serious incidents went without punishment as many hearings did not go ahead due to the volume.

The report also raised concerns over how long boys spent out of their cells due to staff shortages. The YOI estimated that a significant number were out far less than 4.5 hours a day, which had been the average for the six months before the inspection.

Mr Burgon told the Star: “This is yet another shocking report. It is a national scandal that children in custody are held in unsafe conditions where levels of self-harm and violence are soaring.

“We cannot turn lives around if we can’t even keep children safe or get them out of their cells for long enough to get to classes. Last year, the chief inspector found that not a single young offender institution was safe.

“This report is damning evidence of a further decline. The government is not only failing to turn this around, they are presiding over a deepening crisis.”

In 2016, more than 100 violent incidents were recorded in a six-month period at Cookham Wood, including mob attacks and serious assaults on staff, some involving gangs, with assaults on staff up by a third.

The Prisons & Probation Service said recruitment was prioritised at the facility last year.