Health care inspector warns young offenders exposed to rickets due to lack of sun

Young abusers The inspectors fear that people confined in prison cells for nearly 24 hours a day will be exposed to deficiencies resulting in Victorian bony deformities such as rickets.

The outgoing head of the Commission for Quality of Care (CQC) expressed his concern about detainees "locked up in their cells for most of the day," echoed by activists in prisons.

Professor Steve Field raised the issue in an interview with L & # 39; Independent before retiring from his role of overseeing the inspection of medical offices, dentists, badual health and services in the justice system.

He highlighted HMP Feltham, the Juvenile Prison and the Young Offenders Institute of West London, as a site where prisoners were at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Sunlight on the skin allows the body to generate vitamin D – a deficiency that can cause rickets, a more common disease in the 19th century, leaving victims with bent and malformed legs.

"What worried me when I was in Feltham was that there were a lot of young offenders who were locked up there for most of the day," Field said.

"Young children, locked up alone in their cells most of the day. They do not have the physical and mental stimulation they should do. They did not have access to sunlight, so I worried about vitamin D and all sorts of things. "

A Feltham inspection by prison inspectors in 2017 revealed that staff shortages and restrictions of the regime had led some detainees to be locked in their cells for more than 22 hours a day. The inspectors said that one-third of the detainees in the adult wing of the prison, which houses men between the ages of 18 and 21, were locked up for an hour of the day and did not " not spent enough time outdoors.

A report on the Feltham Institute for Young Offenders last year revealed that most boys were allowed out of their cells for seven hours on weekdays. But the inspectors were "not convinced that all the boys had enough time in the open air".

The Howard League for Penal Reform has stated "to be concerned for a long time that children and young adults in detention are being neglected by penitentiary regimes".

Andrew Neilson, Campaign Director, said L & # 39; Independent"Young people held in cells for long periods of time without having anything to do are far from unique in Feltham and can be seen in other prisons in the country. At a minimum, outdoor activities and other physical and mental stimulation should be essential elements within these institutions.

"More generally, however, we must ask ourselves why these young people are incarcerated, especially when they are under 18 years old."

Vitamin D deficiency is a growing problem in the UK, even for people who have the freedom to go out whenever they want. Although rickets is primarily a risk during early childhood, deficiency can also cause problems during the puberty growth spurt.

Government advisers said the country was not sunny enough for the British to maintain their state of health. They advised people, especially those with darker skin and higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, to take supplements.

The lack of staff to oversee the release of inmates from cells, to exercise and to participate in other activities has been badociated with an upsurge in disruptive behavior, violence and self-harm in prisons British. The number of operational staff, from officers to governor ranks, dropped by 18% – from 33,962 to 27,911 – between 2010 and last year. On average, prisons in England and Wales now witness an badault every 20 minutes and a prisoner commits suicide once every four days.

Although the provision of health care is improving in prisons, Field said there was "no doubt" that this remained a problem. He stressed that this was just as important for adults, including the growing number of elderly people behind bars – a group of MPs and activists for penal reform said the government was failing.

The Prison Service said that he was working with the NHS and the Ministry of Health to provide care to offenders.

A spokesperson added, "It is essential to ensure that offenders have nutritious meals and adequate opportunities for exercise.

"In Feltham, offenders have the opportunity to participate in football, rugby and personal training clbades. Last month, the prison launched a Saturday morning parkrun and a cricket driver, as well as an indoor rowing club that should begin in a few weeks. "

Last year, a review by the Ministry of Justice defined the necessary improvements in prison sport and launched a project badociating Premier League football clubs with prisons.

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