A new report has laid bare the "shabby" conditions inside a top prison with inmates given bin bags to wear instead of coats during exercise.
Staff at Young Offenders Institution HMP Deerbolt, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, kept some prisoners locked up for 23 hours a day.
The report also also found dirty toilets, areas in urgent need of refurbishment and "bored" inmates, TeessideLive report.
Three years on from their last visit to the Category C prison, inspectors “again found a mixed picture, showing a deterioration in safety outcomes and the quality of regime, but improvement in work towards resettlement.”
It was also found that the process of managing violence were in "disarray".
Over 180 assaults were reported last year, with inspectors writing: "Only serious incidents of violence were investigated."
The report added: "Most prisoners spent 23 hours each day locked in their cells with little useful activity to fill their time, while much of the unit was branded "shabby and in a poor state of repair".
It added: "Prisoners were not provided with coats an we saw some using bin bags to protect them from the rain."
After violent incidents, "some prisoners were locked up for several weeks without meaningful human contact, welfare checks or any indication as to when the restrictions would end. "
Some, it found, were locked up all day - bar 20 minutes to take a shower and make a phone call.
"None of the cells had access to electricity, other than a light switch and cell call bell. The regime on the unit was minimal, with half an hour on the exercise yard, time for a telephone call and shower, and a visit by the duty governor and nurse every day," stated the report, which found it needed urgent refurbishment."
Inspectors found "few meaningful incentives" to encourage good behaviour among young inmates.
"For many, custody at this time was neither purposeful nor rehabilitative," added the report.
"There was no indoor association provided, which limited the availability of social activities."
“Deerbolt is a prison which retains great potential. We encourage leaders and managers to show greater confidence in the restoration and development of the regime and make better use of the extensive space.
"We also encourage them to develop a more consultative and ambitious approach with prisoners that expects more of them and incentivises their engagement with what the prison is able to offer."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson addressed the report.
They said: “Whilst we are pleased to see a reduction in violence at HMP/YOI Deerbolt, assaults against our hardworking staff are never tolerated and will be reported to the police where appropriate.”
