Meet the governor

by Matt Pointon

WHEN I was told that I would be interviewing the governor of a prison, I expected to find myself face-to-face with a bear of a man, hardened by years of dishing out discipline to recalcitrant inmates. When I met Gov. Frank Flynn however, governor of HMYOI Werrington, I found, to my surprise, a mild-mannered gentleman who seemed a million miles away from the stern-faced ‘Guv’ that I’d been anticipating. But then I was soon to learn that Gov. Flynn, like the establishment that he presides over, smashes more than a few stereotypes.

I started off by asking Governor Flynn about how he saw youth crime in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, particularly since the impression in the general press seems to be that it is very much on the increase.

“Yes, it does seem to be that way if you read the papers, but in fact the figures clearly show that youth crime is actually going down, the opposite of public perceptions. This is perhaps due to our 24/7 media culture, but we should remember the past. For example, in the 70s British crime was dominated by large gangs, such as the Krays or the Richardsons, but these days such gangs are really a thing of the past. Also, we need to look at how we perceive crime. If we hear the word ‘yob’ we automatically think of a boy aged 14, 15 or 16, whereas most of the people that we label yobs are more likely to be aged 24, 25 or 26. Instead, young people are often getting involved in activities far less anti-social, such as the Scouting movement which is stronger now than it has ever been.”

OK, so youth crime is on the decrease, but it still exists, and so I asked the Governor, what are the main causes in this area.

“Most trainees come from dysfunctional backgrounds, such as poor parenting, poverty, bad influences from peer groups. However, poverty does not equal crime.

“The causes vary from place to place as does the level of crime, but generally factors such as impoverished backgrounds, dysfunctional backgrounds, poor education or poor diet play a part.

“Stoke-on-Trent, believe it or not, has a very low level of organised crime. Most of the trainees that we have from the local area are low-level offenders, committing crimes to pay for drug or alcohol habits or perhaps stealing cars. Recently in Werrington, due to the national prison overcrowding, we have had a lot of trainees in from London and it has been clear that they are much more sophisticated in the crimes that they commit. It has also been clear that their general health, diet and education is better, which is a cause of concern for Stoke-on-Trent, but on the whole, even compared to cities such as Manchester, Birmingham or Nottingham, Stoke does not have an organised gang culture.”

“It amazes me, but on the whole, when people see a child at seven who has been abused, most people are appalled. However, when they see the same child at fifteen, then why do those same people automatically call him a yob? The boy is the same, with the same problems and same disadvantages, except that at fifteen he has had to endure it for longer. Here at Werrington, we have a small window in which we can try and change their behaviour.”
What does Gov. Flynn mean by offering ‘opportunities’ to the trainees?
“Our vision of Werrington is to become a reflection of the outside world. Offer opportunities in schooling and leisure. Poor behaviour is challenged, so that when boys leave they can become part of the community.

“It is possible to provide our trainees with every opportunity to enable them to be put on the correct pathway, and remember, if we do succeed, then that is a pathway that they will stay on for the next 60 years. If we did not make the most of that small window then in my opinion, that would be a total abdication of our responsibilities.”

Finally, I asked if the governor had any advice to parents who fear that their child may be going down the wrong path.

“Check what your child is doing, are they clean, what is their diet? Do the extra – talk to them, try to understand them and their life. Contact Werrington (tel. 463300), as Werrington is not an island but part of the community. Although it is not usually possible to visit us, we do reach out.”

ABOUT WERRINGTON
HMYOI Werrington started life back in 1895 as an industrial school. In 1955 it was purchased by the Prison Commissioners, and two years later it opened as a Senior Detention Centre.

Following implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 1982, it converted to a Youth Custody Centre in 1985, and in 1988 it became a Juvenile Centre, housing boys between the ages of 15 and 17.

Due to prison overcrowding, it generally runs close to its capacity of 148, and its inmates (known as ‘trainees’ as they are all engaged in some sort of training programme to prepare them for a life without crime) come from all parts of the country, notably London, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent. The trainees serve a variety of sentences from months to years, and are all housed in cells. Facilities available at Werrington for the trainees include a gym, a youth club, a chaplaincy, psychology and education which includes workshops in practical subjects such as bricks and horticulture as well as academic subjects.