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PPO publish investigation report into abuse of young men at Medomsley Detention Centre

Published:

Warning: Readers may find the contents of this news post distressing. 

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Adrian Usher has today published his final report into abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre.   

Commissioned in October 2023 by the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk, the PPO were asked to conduct an independent investigation into what the authorities knew about abuse which took place at Medomsley between 1961 and 1987, whether there were opportunities for them to have intervened at the time, and what action, if any, they took when faced with these opportunities. Read the investigation’s Terms of Reference for a description of the authorities.  

Medomsley Detention Centre, a senior youth detention centre located in Durham, was designed to hold offenders aged between 17 and 21. It was in operation from 1961 to 1987 and the offences for which the young men were sentenced ranged from shoplifting and non-payment of fines, to robbery. 

The report is split into four parts: 

Part one – Intentions, sets out what should have happened at Medomsley. This includes how the regime was supposed to run, trainees’ key welfare entitlements and how they could complain. 

Part two – Experiences, explores what actually happened at Medomsley and contains descriptions of physical, sexual and psychological abuse. This part highlights a culture of systemic physical abuse that became embedded as a practice of “short, sharp, shock”. We found that abuse took place across the Medomsley site, and in some cases, trainees were forced to inflict violence upon each other. This part explores the nature and extent of the sexual abuse that took place which ranged from acts of sexual touching to oral and anal rape. It also provides a factual account of the deaths of two trainees which occurred at Medomsley.  

Part three – Awareness, examines what the authorities knew about the abuse at Medomsley. The leadership at Medomsley and the Prison Service knew that physical punishment was being used to discipline trainees, yet no internal reviews were conducted into complaints about abuse, nor any policy changes. Disclosures of sexual abuse were made to staff, but these disclosures were not believed. Evidence suggests that many staff knew or suspected that certain members of staff were abusing trainees but took no action to stop it.  

Part four – Failings, analyses how and why the abuse was able to take place over such a prolonged period and why no one intervened. Together, societal attitudes, a lack of clear direction for the centre, poor and ineffective governance and oversight, failures in leadership and unchecked, inappropriate power imbalances all contributed to Medomsley being operated for 26 years effectively beyond the reach of the law. 

Ombudsman Adrian Usher makes three considerations in the report for the authorities referred to: 

1. Today there is not an independent body that proactively asks children about their custodial experience through a safeguarding lens 

2. The complaints process for children in custody remains the same today as it was when Medomsley was in operation 

3. The victims of Medomsley have never received a public apology 

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman would like to thank all who came forward to speak to us, some for the very first time.  

“This report cannot deliver justice… However, it is my fervent hope that, for many victims, what this report represents is a victory for your tenacity, determination and courage. You may have had to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles over the last 40 years and more but, in the end, you were heard, and you were believed”. 
Adrian Usher – Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Read the report
Read the release

If you have been affected by the findings of this investigation, click here to view a list of organisations that offer specialist support to people who have experienced abuse.