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.