YOUNG prisoners at risk of gang violence are ​afraid to leave their cells, according to a new report.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said Deerbolt YOI, at Startforth, near Barnard Castle, has a good safety record relative to comparator prisons, but there are still many prisoners who feel under threat.

The report said prisoners feel this way often because of debts incurred or inter-gang rivalries – these are gangs based in prisoners’ home cities.

Since the Covid-19 lockdown, transfers of prisoners between prisons nationally has been almost completely suspended.

This has meant Deerbolt has had difficulty moving out prisoners who are at risk at the prison because of gang-related issues or mistakes they have made.

Since the lockdown, almost all new prisoners have come from the North-East area, via HMPs Durham and Holme House.

Inspectors said this has been a benefit, in that prisoners from the Midlands and south have tended to bring with them gang allegiances that have caused problems at Deerbolt.

However, the pandemic has also meant delays in securing a transfer have resulted in several prisoners remaining in segregation for long periods of time.

The report, published earlier this month, reads: “At the beginning of the reporting year, the numbers of fights and assaults by prisoners on other prisoners and on staff were lower than in the previous reporting period. After the Covid-19 lockdown, violence among prisoners was further reduced, probably because there were fewer opportunities for prisoners to interact, and many vulnerable prisoners said that they felt safer.

“On the other hand, Deerbolt has had great difficulty in moving out prisoners who are at risk at Deerbolt because of gang-related issues or mistakes they have made, who need a fresh start at another prison. Delays in securing a transfer have meant that several prisoners have remained in segregation for long periods at their own insistence.”

The monitoring board also reflected on the riot last January which left four prison officers injured.

On January 8, 2020, violence erupted just before 8pm after staff tried to discipline one offender.

It led to a riot lasting more than four hours with specialist officers drafted into regain control of C-wing.

There was significant fire damage, and the regional Tornado team was deployed.

The subsequent external investigation concluded that the incident was started by the action of one individual, who had reacted impulsively and spontaneously on being told to return to his cell by staff.

The board said it is satisfied that the incident was not representative of the general level of violence in Deerbolt, so that it can fairly be regarded as exceptional.