A PRISON officer claimed today that York's worst young criminals are ending up at a "holiday camp without the redcoats."

He said he believed Wetherby Young Offender Institution now operated as a "child-friendly regime," at great cost to taxpayers and increased risk to officers' safety and welfare.

But his claims were emphatically denied today by governor Paul Foweather.

The officer, who asked not to be identified, told the Evening Press that the institution - now known as a secure college of learning - had:

Hired a clown juggler to entertain teenagers

Spent thousands of pounds on arcade-style video games to prevent offenders getting bored - but with the machines vandalised within months

Asked an artist to come in and paint a mural over a yellow wall that was felt to be too austere - but with the mural later painted over because it was deemed unsuitable

Run an Easter egg treasure hunt for prisoners.

He said all new arrivals - who were aged between 15 and 18 and included burglars, street robbers and car thieves - were given a "goody bag" containing items including sweets and colouring books, paid for out of public money.

He also said that an external organisation had been brought in at great cost to teach prisoners to dance.

Later, a prisoner due to take part in a show had been transferred to another prison, and an officer and dance teacher had been sent in a taxi to persuade him to return to take part.

The officer said: "It would be funny if you could disregard the costs to the taxpayer and the morale of prison officers.

"It's like a holiday camp without the redcoats," he claimed.

He also alleged that officers were abused and assaulted by prisoners, with little deterrent available since governors' rights to extend the time spent in custody had been withdrawn nationally.

He said an "unworkable bureaucratic procedure" had been set up to deal with misbehaving trainees which could extend their period in custody, but this had rarely been used.

Officers complained instead to police about assaults, but the Crown Prosecution Service often deemed it was not in the public interest to pursue a prosecution, he claimed. When they did, the sentence imposed was often concurrent with the one already being served.

Many officers had gone off sick with stress. "Morale is very low," he said.

Anne McIntosh, Vale of York MP, said today that concerns about the institution had been raised with her by a constituent who worked there, and she had made a number of inquiries.

She believed offenders needed to be rehabilitated, but officers were not receiving the protection they needed. "I am concerned we are hanging prison officers out to dry," she said.

The Wetherby Young Offender Institution, situated just across the B1224 road from Wetherby Racecourse, has about 440 staff, and normally houses 360 young offenders from across the Yorkshire region, although numbers have been down by 60 since a wing was damaged by fire.

A former borstal, it is funded by the Youth Justice Board, and most youngsters there have been sentenced to Detention and Training Orders, introduced several years ago.

It's not a holiday camp says chief

THE Governor of Wetherby Young Offender Institution today launched a passionate defence of its regime.

Paul Foweather said the ethos was to rehabilitate, train and educate "trainees", giving them appropriate new skills so they could get a job and start new lives away from crime.

"The aim is to prevent other people becoming victims of crime in future," he said.

He claimed the new approach was already getting results nationwide, with a 13 per cent drop in re-offending.

He said claims that the institution was like a holiday camp were "quite ridiculous", saying trainees spent 30 hours a week in lessons. "They work very hard," he said.

He said the approach was not child-friendly but "young person appropriate".

The "goody bag" given to new arrivals helped them cope at a time when they were at greatest risk of self-harm and suicide.

He said a juggler had not come in to entertain trainees, but teach them circus skills. The dance group had come in with Arts Council funding to help teenagers improve their self-esteem.

The Easter egg hunt had just been a "bit of fun", and the video games were intended to ensure the trainees did not miss out on a normal part of teenage life.

He also claimed that order and control had improved in recent years, with fewer assaults on staff, in spite of the loss of governors' powers. "We have a holistic approach to behaviour management. There are so many tools," he said.

A whole range of privileges could be withdrawn, including the removal of a trainee's TV, removal of association time and pay.

He denied officers' morale was low and said: "I am proud to work at Wetherby, and hold the staff in high regard for their commitment and professionalism."

Updated: 10:31 Wednesday, February 25, 2004