DEERBOLT at Barnard Castle remains a broadly safe environment for the 425 young offenders it houses, with progress made in addressing many of the weaknesses identified in its last inspection report.

However, overcrowding and lack of resources are hampering efforts to sustain and build on developments made and improvements needed, said HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers.

Publishing her report on an unannounced follow up inspection, she said, "Deerbolt has improved since our last inspection two years ago and has succeeded in sustaining its generally safe and respectful environment. Staff and managers are to be congratulated on this."

She pointed out that there was room for further improvement, which she set out in her report.

"However, Deerbolt's main problems are those faced by the whole prison estate in the face of too many prisoners and limited resources.

"Unless that is tackled centrally, it will remain very difficult to provide the challenging and constructive regime that young prisoners need if their chances of re-offending are to be reduced."

Ms Owers' report found that Deerbolt was managing to provide more relevant and focused activities for the young men under its roof. Time spent out of the cells, and the quantity and quality of education and training, was considerably better, although there was still room for improvement.

On the positive side, the number of young people accessing level one literacy and numeracy skills had increased. The initial target figure of 93 accreditations had been exceeded, with 290 recorded. This was tempered by the long waiting list for students wishing to undertake basic skills, although significant improvements were ongoing in an expansion programme.

The quality of the PE department was praised. It offered a wide range of interesting courses, with the enthusiasm of staff inspiring many of the young people spoken to. However, those without allocated activity still spent too much of each day locked in the cells.

The report highlighted a number of ongoing problems that needed addressing, including the need for regular outdoor exercise and the absence of a visitors' centre, which Ms Owers called a matter of urgency as Deerbolt was not being easily accessible by public transport.

The fixed metal and plastic seating in the current visits area was criticised as unpleasant and uncomfortable. The inspectors were told it had been rejected by Frankland Prison and they wondered why it was considered suitable for young prisoners and their visitors at Deerbolt.

Ms Owers also referred to prisoners' safety being compromised by locking them in showers, a practice which the governor Alan Tallentire, who joined Deerbolt last December, said had now stopped.

He told the D&S Times that he was broadly pleased with the "fairly balanced" report, which would be taken very seriously. "We will look at the recommendations and decide which are appropriate to implement."

Director General of the Prison Service, Phil Wheatley, said, "While I am pleased that the chief inspector recognises the improvements made at Deerbolt since the last inspection, I want to stress that many more have been made since this inspection."