0:00:05 > 0:00:07Undercover in a prison for teenagers.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Home to these 12-to-18-year-olds.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Custody officers controlling by menace.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30Even brutality.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32SHOUTING
0:00:35 > 0:00:38One of the world's biggest security firms, G4S,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42is paid millions to look after these young inmates,
0:00:42 > 0:00:43but not like this.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51'If it's around adults and authority figures'
0:00:51 > 0:00:55that behave in such a manner, it's not going to fix him.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57It's going to make him worse.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59SCREAMING
0:00:59 > 0:01:04Tonight, we ask, is G4S failing some of the most vulnerable youngsters
0:01:04 > 0:01:05in the country?
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Medway Secure Training Centre,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38near Rochester, in Kent.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46This is a prison not like other prisons.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51CHEERING
0:01:51 > 0:01:55It's home to around 70 boys and girls, aged 12 to 18,
0:01:55 > 0:02:00who are accused or convicted of crimes from theft to murder.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17I am here to investigate allegations from whistle-blowers
0:02:17 > 0:02:22that teenagers are being mistreated, bullied and even abused
0:02:22 > 0:02:23by custody officers.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31'I have got a job with G4S, who run Medway, as a custody officer.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33'The inmates here are called trainees.'
0:02:36 > 0:02:39SHOUTING
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'There's up to eight in each unit,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48'looked after by two or three custody officers, like me.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'They are sent here specifically because they are vulnerable.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01'Or at risk.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07'They are also challenging.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15'This is Billy, not his real name.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24'He is 14 years old.'
0:03:24 > 0:03:27G-U...6.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28LAUGHTER
0:03:33 > 0:03:36'He has been in and out of trouble for most of his life
0:03:36 > 0:03:39'and is now at Medway because he attacked someone.'
0:03:44 > 0:03:47'He has just arrived from a secure children's home,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49'which could not cope with him.'
0:03:55 > 0:03:59As much as he drives me to the brink of going,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03"I just can't do it", there is still a little boy in there
0:04:03 > 0:04:08who is just lonely and doesn't know what to do.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's pretty sad, really.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19'It's Medway's job to keep Billy and the other young inmates safe,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23'provide high-quality education and rehabilitation.'
0:04:39 > 0:04:44'Before starting work at Medway, G4S provides all new recruits
0:04:44 > 0:04:46'with eight weeks of basic training.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49'There are three main grades of custody officer -
0:04:49 > 0:04:54'training centre assistants, like me, team leaders and, the most senior,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56'duty operations managers.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02'We are taught that we must keep youngsters in our care safe and that,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05if there's trouble, we may have to restrain them.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08'But only if absolutely necessary.'
0:05:24 > 0:05:28'If we use excessive force, we can be disciplined or even prosecuted.'
0:05:35 > 0:05:39'Out of the training room and in the prison, it's a different world.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46'It's my 13th shift and I'm in a classroom.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51'I'm waiting with a female custody officer and three inmates
0:05:51 > 0:05:52'for the next class to start.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56'One of them is 14-year-old Billy.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07'He is shouting at Gareth, a team leader,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11'who is outside in the corridor with Chris, a duty operations manager.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18'Gareth comes to the door and tries to get in.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26'Then, it looks like Billy might be trying to reach for
0:06:26 > 0:06:28'the female officer's radio or keys.'
0:06:31 > 0:06:33'I don't expect what happens next.'
0:06:37 > 0:06:39'"First response" means emergency.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44'He restrains Billy and I have to help.'
0:06:47 > 0:06:49'Other officers arrive...
0:06:50 > 0:06:53'..including Chris, the most senior officer present.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56'He is the one with the red watch.'
0:07:05 > 0:07:07'He has his fingers on Billy's throat.'
0:07:11 > 0:07:15'During training, we were repeatedly told to always protect airways.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18'Choking anyone is never allowed.'
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Doctor Andrew McDonald is one of the most published experts
0:07:26 > 0:07:28on how to handle challenging behaviour,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30including physical restraint.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33He has got his fingers right in there. I can actually
0:07:33 > 0:07:36see them on his neck. He is applying pressure there.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42That is really dangerous.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45He is telling you he can't breathe, so let go of him.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51That, to me, is an example of, actually, excessive force,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53while applying restraint.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57'Hurting inmates in this way is against the rules.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02'It may also make these youngsters more likely to reoffend.'
0:08:04 > 0:08:06'If I was a young person
0:08:06 > 0:08:09'in that situation and that was done to me, I'd be pretty angry.'
0:08:09 > 0:08:14Also, these people are role models, so what they are doing almost
0:08:14 > 0:08:16makes it legitimate for those young people
0:08:16 > 0:08:18to also be violent and aggressive.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25'Billy is being forcibly taken to his cell.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47'I don't know how much weight Gareth is putting on Billy's arm and wrist,
0:08:47 > 0:08:48'but it looks painful.'
0:08:48 > 0:08:50BILLY SHOUTS
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'That is a 14-year-old, probably very traumatised, boy.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57'The fact that these kids have actually'
0:08:57 > 0:09:01been involved with crime - some of them have committed serious crimes -
0:09:01 > 0:09:02doesn't make them any less human.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09'It takes the team of custody officers nearly eight minutes
0:09:09 > 0:09:10'to get Billy into his cell.'
0:09:17 > 0:09:18'He acts tough...'
0:09:21 > 0:09:24'..but Billy has mental health issues and behavioural difficulties.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:32SOBBING
0:09:33 > 0:09:36'At the end of it all, he looks broken.'
0:09:39 > 0:09:40'He is scared.'
0:09:40 > 0:09:42IMITATES BILLY: He can't breathe.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45You know, he is crying.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49You just see a child who is, literally, just being manhandled.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Excessive use of force. It was not necessary.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01I know, when these children
0:10:01 > 0:10:04wind you up, the way he was winding that officer up, it can be hard.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07But they are there to do a job
0:10:07 > 0:10:10and to help that child to rehabilitate.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14And I can't see how...
0:10:14 > 0:10:17they are going to do that, seeing that...
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It just completely blows everything I thought out of the water.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Gareth, the team leader who began the restraint,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26tells us how he's going to justify it.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Billy may have been reaching for the radio,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44but he wasn't trying to grab Gareth, Billy was
0:10:44 > 0:10:46trying to defend himself.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54Sorry...
0:10:54 > 0:10:56G4S investigate.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Gareth and two other custody officers
0:11:04 > 0:11:06say the restraint was justified.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16To continue our investigation, I feel
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I have to stick to the story too.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Three weeks later,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Gareth is allowed back to work.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Before broadcast, we informed the authorities about our evidence.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39G4S currently runs England's
0:11:39 > 0:11:44three secure training centres. But later this year, it will stop
0:11:44 > 0:11:47running one of them, Rainsbrook,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51after the Chief Inspector of Prisons found evidence of abuse.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55G4S still has the contract here at Medway.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59There are some deep questions to be asked
0:11:59 > 0:12:00about what was happening here,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04that go beyond individual staff behaving badly.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Also, it's got really concerning echoes
0:12:08 > 0:12:12of what we found at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Many of the staff I meet are OK.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19A few are amazing.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25But some really worry me.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Like this man - Anthony.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32He was an ordinary officer like me for 18 months,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35before being promoted to team leader.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I'm supposed to learn from him.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Here he is boasting openly in
0:12:40 > 0:12:43the kitchen about hurting a 14-year-old child.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Bang! Bang! Bang!
0:13:05 > 0:13:06It's not just Anthony.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10After work at the staff area,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12another team leader also seems
0:13:12 > 0:13:13to revel in aggression.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40It's Anthony, though,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43who talks most often about hurting the inmates.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56NARRATOR LAUGHS
0:13:56 > 0:13:59I laugh along so he'll continue to trust me,
0:13:59 > 0:14:00but it's not funny.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04I'm sceptical about
0:14:04 > 0:14:06these claims until I see Anthony, in particular,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09with kids, with my own eyes.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12He can be an effective team leader.
0:14:12 > 0:14:13But he can also be a bully.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20It's 14-year-old Billy, who was restrained in the classroom,
0:14:20 > 0:14:21who Anthony picks on a lot.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I had reported to Anthony that Billy
0:14:32 > 0:14:33hadn't cleaned his room.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44It's uncomfortable to see because I've got a good relationship with
0:14:44 > 0:14:46these lads. And they're still laughing and joking,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49but you can tell they are uncomfortable.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52I mean, essentially it is just bullying, bullying kids.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Bullying them into doing what you want.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02This is another male team leader, Matt.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Billy is difficult and
0:15:07 > 0:15:10sometimes attacks staff, but it's beginning to
0:15:10 > 0:15:11look like he's being targeted.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Matt tells me he's looking for an
0:15:21 > 0:15:23excuse to hurt Billy, and tries to enlist my help.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Billy knows what will happen if he gives
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Matt that excuse.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49To protect the youngsters
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and staff at Medway, CCTV cameras record pictures,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56but not sound, except in places like bedrooms,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58classrooms and in the kitchen.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Like here, when Billy mocks Liverpool Football Club.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11LAUGHTER
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Then this happens...
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Literally, he kind of pushed him,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41shoved him down, got his thumbs into the back
0:16:41 > 0:16:45of his neck, and then put one of his hands on the top of his head
0:16:45 > 0:16:47and kind of dug it in.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49And then he got part of his knuckle and
0:16:49 > 0:16:52kind of dug it into the back of his head, like, around there.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56There are no cameras here,
0:16:56 > 0:16:57and Matt knows it.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00His inappropriate behaviour is hidden.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04I find that
0:17:04 > 0:17:06harder to deal with than the violence, if I'm honest.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10I mean, you think of abuse in these situations
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and think it will be one member of staff
0:17:13 > 0:17:16slyly digging a child when nobody else is around.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19But looking at this, it is so openly obvious that
0:17:19 > 0:17:23it is just a day-to-day "management" strategy for them.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25Which is despicable.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31It's bedtime.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Anthony is locking Billy up in his cell.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43HE SHOUTS IN PAIN
0:17:43 > 0:17:46It sounded like Billy was in pain, but I didn't know why.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56After the late shift, at the staff area outside,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Anthony explains.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Anthony knew Billy had an injured hand.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10BILLY SHOUTS IN PAIN
0:18:13 > 0:18:17The other custody officers listen and apparently do nothing.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23The key line of defence is a professional staff
0:18:23 > 0:18:26who are prepared to say, "This isn't right, here,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I'm not happy with this, I'm prepared to do that."
0:18:29 > 0:18:31It takes staff to blow the whistle.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33- Right.- And you have to ask yourself the question -
0:18:33 > 0:18:37"Why did nobody say, 'Look, I'm not happy with what's going on here'?"
0:18:40 > 0:18:42G4S has had the government contract
0:18:42 > 0:18:45to run Medway since 1998.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Last year, it was paid more than £10 million.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53My colleagues now trust me. They give me their
0:18:53 > 0:18:56take on how that contract works.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01G4S gets fined if it officially loses control in any way,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03like trainees fighting.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Anthony tells me some staff have found a simple way around it.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19That means they don't report it.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Anthony claims some duty operations managers have
0:19:34 > 0:19:36pressured him to lie to avoid fines.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39He tells me that once,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42even when three groups of lads had a fight,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44it wasn't reported, it was covered up.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51BEEP!
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Misreporting to avoid fines could be fraud.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I think that is a very serious allegation.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10And I think that's something that needs to be specifically investigated.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13And certainly, if that was done with the
0:20:13 > 0:20:18knowledge of managers at G4S, then I think that
0:20:18 > 0:20:22would be a very serious thing to add to...
0:20:22 > 0:20:24A very serious thing for them to have to answer.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26I think it would be very disturbing.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I don't know if whether that in
0:20:28 > 0:20:32itself is something that needs the attention of the police.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38I've now been undercover at Medway for two months.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Today is my last shift.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Yeah? Crikey! That's not the attitude!
0:20:44 > 0:20:48This is Lee, not his real name.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51He's 16 years old and came here from care.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Do you want to hear a joke?
0:21:03 > 0:21:06He has a conviction for robbery.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10The second he got up in the morning, I knew
0:21:10 > 0:21:13he was out of character. And I could tell that he was
0:21:13 > 0:21:17really sad. He has been down for the past couple of weeks.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22BEEP!
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Hey! Hey!
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Hey!
0:21:27 > 0:21:29BEEP!
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Oi!
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Earlier, Lee was rude to Anthony.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Anthony is still cross about it.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Sadly, Anthony is right.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Lee has a history of self-harm.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12He is treated in his cell, put on constant monitoring,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and his room is stripped.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18The last thing to be removed is a towel.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Lee doesn't want to let go of it.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- BEEP!- BEEP!
0:22:30 > 0:22:32My camera only gets a
0:22:32 > 0:22:35glimpse of what happened, but I see it clearly.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Anthony came from behind, and pulled
0:22:39 > 0:22:44him in a reverse choke, pulled him down onto the bed
0:22:44 > 0:22:47and choked him from behind.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Really, really hard.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52And he kind of slammed him onto the bed quite hard.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- Go away- BEEP!
0:22:57 > 0:23:01You know, it wasn't, it wasn't easy to be, you know, witnessing that.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07A duty operations manager, called Gareth,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09takes charge of the restraint.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But this boy's treatment doesn't get any better.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28For over three minutes, staff physically restrain Lee.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39LEE SCREAMS
0:23:39 > 0:23:40BEEP!
0:23:44 > 0:23:45SHOUTING AND GRUNTING
0:23:45 > 0:23:47OK, stop there, he's saying,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50"Bend his wrist." Yeah. And then he does bend his wrist. Right.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53I mean, it's pretty obvious what he's saying, there, which is,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57the more you struggle and fight, the more it's going to hurt.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01It's as simple as that. Again, that's an
0:24:01 > 0:24:04improper use of those kind of techniques.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08LEE SCREAMS
0:24:08 > 0:24:10The restraint continues.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And Lee is once again on the floor.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15LEE SCREAMS
0:24:18 > 0:24:20That's just an abuse of power,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22and it's an abuse of methods.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23It's quite horrifying.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29When it's over, just like Billy,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Lee is alone in his cell.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38In the staffroom, Gareth and two other
0:24:38 > 0:24:41custody officers concoct a story to justify their actions.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46There is no CCTV in the bedrooms,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49so it will be their word against the trainees.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51They tell me what to write down.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Anthony wasn't assaulted, yet I'm told to say that he was.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11When I won't go along with it, they try another approach.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I won't say Lee hit Anthony,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33so they decide I couldn't have seen everything,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35but I did. I was at the door throughout.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54He appears to think it's funny.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Anthony describes what he did to Lee, move by move.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34G4S haven't responded to us about our allegations,
0:26:34 > 0:26:35but claim the filming was illegal
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and that the programme shouldn't be broadcast.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43G4S told BBC News they
0:26:43 > 0:26:46thoroughly vet their staff, and that external monitors
0:26:46 > 0:26:48had not raised any concerns.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54These are extremely shocking allegations and have no
0:26:54 > 0:26:57part in our business or in any establishment
0:26:57 > 0:27:00that looks after young people.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04We were unaware of these allegations until the
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Panorama... Sent them to us... And we took immediate action
0:27:07 > 0:27:10to report them to the police and local authority.
0:27:10 > 0:27:16G4S is paid nearly £140,000 per year, per inmate.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18108 youngsters left here
0:27:18 > 0:27:22between April 2012 and April 2013.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Nearly two thirds reoffended within a year.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I'd never give up hope for my son.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I can't...
0:27:34 > 0:27:36I can't have
0:27:36 > 0:27:38people treat him like that just because he's
0:27:38 > 0:27:40in an institution for doing wrong.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43To try and teach him the right way...is the only way to
0:27:43 > 0:27:45get him fixed.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47And if he's around adults and
0:27:47 > 0:27:51authority figures that behave in such a manner,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55it's not going to fix him, it's going to make him worse.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Since we informed G4S of our evidence,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03they have suspended seven custody officers.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Gareth, who unnecessarily restrained Billy...
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Duty operations manager Chris, who choked him...
0:28:15 > 0:28:17And team leaders Matt and Anthony,
0:28:17 > 0:28:18who were bullying him.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Billy has finished his sentence
0:28:23 > 0:28:24and is out of Medway.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Kent Police have launched an investigation.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Children are currently not being sent here.