Last inspectedJune 2025Full inspection, unannounced
Source: HM Inspectorate of Prisons report published 26 August 2025; visiting details from GOV.UK · last checked 29 October 2026
Latest inspection
At its last full inspection (June 2025; report published August 2025), inspectors found outcomes for children were poor for safety and purposeful activity; reasonably good for care and resettlement. It held 94 children at the time, against an operational capacity of 126. An independent review of progress was published in July 2026.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons formally told the Justice Secretary of urgent and significant concerns. The government must respond publicly within 28 days. Read our story
Police are treating the death of a 16-year-old held at Feltham A as unexpected. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will carry out a full investigation, and a post-mortem examination will take place.
Inspectors rated the West London children's unit poor for safety and purposeful activity for a second time running. They saw early signs of improvement under new leaders, but boys spent 20 hours a day locked in cells.
The inspectorate's report on HMYOI Feltham A, published in July 2024, found violence at the highest level of any prison, children locked up for too long and inadequate education, despite good staff relationships.
The inspectorate's report on HMYOI Feltham A, published in June 2022, found the children's prison safer, calmer and more productive, three years after an urgent notification, though violence remained too high.
Prison News staff
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