Jimmy McGovern claims young offender institution staff 'lazy'

A BAFTA-winning screenwriter whose new drama is set in a young offender institution has said he believed keeping inmates isolated from each other for long periods allowed staff to "sit on their backsides all day and do nothing".

Jimmy McGovern, writer of BBC drama Time, said he was shocked after visiting "appalling" facilities while researching the latest series.

McGovern told BBC North West Tonight those in young offender institutions (YOIs) were "banged up 23 hours a day" as part of a keep-apart policy to stop offenders mixing. He said he believed the policy gave officers an "excuse for being lazy".

The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said McGovern was "unfair" to call officers lazy - and said keep-aparts were essential for safety due to a daily threat of serious violence.

Liverpool-born McGovern focused on adult prison estates in the first two series of BBC hit Time.

But his third series, starring David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran, follows young offenders through a system which McGovern said had "got to be better".

While researching for the upcoming series, which he wrote with Samuel Bailey, McGovern decided to get a behind the scenes look inside real-life YOIs.

"I truly was shocked," he said of his visits to the institutions.

"It is absolutely appalling. There's young boys with enormous energy banged up 23 hours a day - not allowed out of the cells.

"They call them rooms, but they're cells. And that's because of the keep-apart system."

Keep-aparts are a method of separating young offenders in a bid to cut down on violence.

The separation of young people in YOIs has been a topic of debate for a number of years - with the most recent review from HM Inspectorate of Prisons finding some held in YOIs were not permitted to leave their cells at all on some days.

McGovern said he recognised a need for "regimentation" in YOIs, but said keep-aparts - which he believed had got worse following lockdown measures imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic - allowed officers to avoid their duties.

"It allows officers to sit on their backsides all day and do nothing," he said.

"This happened before Covid, but Covid gave them the excuse to keep them banged up even more.

"After Covid, they didn't want to see the kids so it became worse."

When asked about the challenges faced by YOIs in regards to staffing and funding, McGovern dismissed these factors.

"I'm afraid they're lazy," he said. "I've met wonderful prison officers, but I've seen some lazy ones and the keep-apart system enables them to be lazy with an excuse for being lazy."

He said prison officers should be able to handle fights among the offenders.

"It is feral," he said. "They're young boys bursting with energy - cooped up. When they get out, they want to fight.

"But they are prison officers. They should be able to handle that."

He added: "These boys in these institutions are very, very difficult, so there has to be an element of regimentation - rules and regulations.

"I understand how tough it is, but that's your job."

POA chairman Mark Fairhurst said they shared some of the concerns raised by McGovern about violence in YOIs.

"I have the utmost respect for Jimmy's work," Fairhurst said. "He is right to highlight the serious problems within young offender institutions.

"YOIs are among the most violent prisons in the country. Prison officers routinely put themselves in harm's way to prevent serious injury and save lives.

"Many of my members have suffered life-changing injuries and been forced to leave the service following vicious assaults.

"These are not simply naughty schoolchildren. Keep-aparts are an essential safety measure in an environment where serious violence is a daily reality."

Fairhurst said staff at YOIs were "paying the price" of a lack of investment and staffing.

"It is also unfair to suggest staff are lazy," he said. "They are stretched to breaking point by chronic under-staffing and unmanageable workloads.

"Without serious investment in staffing, facilities and rehabilitation, we will continue to see violent and chaotic YOIs - and prison officers paying the price."

The Ministry of Justice said: "We do not recognise these claims about our hardworking prison staff.

"Their dedication helps ensure young offenders are punished as appropriate while being supported into rehabilitation, and we will deliver on our commitment to give children in prison more time outside their room."

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