Lay Observers criticise court cells

Concerns about the treatment of people in court awaiting trial have been raised in a watchdog’s annual report.

The Lay Observers – unpaid public appointees who monitor court cells and the transport of people in custody – criticised the treatment of children, young people, and elderly people in courts. The report says the facilities are barely coping with the amount of people they need to hold, due to staff shortages.

The Lay Observers said that whilst they had reported on poor conditions in previous years, they had identified two new areas of concern: lack of acceptable seating, particularly as there are more elderly prisoners appearing in court now, and the poor standard of food for those held for many hours.

Highlighted issues unresolved from year to year include poor and unreliable transport, lack of staff, and poor treatment of children and young people. The watchdog is particularly concerned at the effect on children and young people who are kept locked in small cells in the courts for hours at a time whilst waiting for cases that are often delayed due to time pressure. One young person spent 15 hours, including transport to and from court, and awaiting the hearing. Almost half of the hearings lacked staff trained to deal with the need of young people.

The watchdog praised staff for managing to keep the service going despite stress and personal danger, with some working in excess of 60 hours per week which it said is unsustainable.

It asked for areas where young people can be held outside of cells, and said they should be transported to court without the intimidating presence of adults being moved. It wants decent seating available for elderly people, and reading materials for those waiting, including in different languages appropriate for the area. Above all it wants sufficient trained staff to be available at all times.