Death prison ‘must tighten procedures’

A top-security Yorkshire jail where a notorious child murderer was allegedly killed by another violent inmate has been told it must improve the way it deals with its most difficult prisoners.

Procedures at Full Sutton prison, near York, are under scrutiny after Colin Hatch, a prisoner serving life for abducting, raping and murdering a seven-year-old boy, was found dead in a cell last month.

Inspectors who visited the jail four months before the killing published their findings today, highlighting an “inadequate” regime in its segregation unit, where some of Britain’s most dangerous criminals are kept.

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They found that staff had a “confused approach” to managing behaviour and may have been using mechanical restraints inappropriately.

But the report praises the prison for its “very good” security arrangements and for making improvements to its safety procedures since a critical inspection in 2007.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said Full Sutton’s managers and staff “could be commended on their work in very challenging circumstances”.