The prisons watchdog has warned that ‘decades of underinvestment and inertia’ in a service vital for the protection of the public has led to ‘brutalising conditions’ for prisoners and prison workers.
Introducing the body’s annual report HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said plans to release prisoners early to deal with the capacity crisis were welcomed, but warned that crime will increase if prisons are used ‘simply to warehouse people in squalor’.
He said ‘sustained, decisive action’ was now needed ‘to make life safer not only within prison walls, but also for our communities when people are released.’
Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform commented: ‘The situation in prisons and probation requires a complete reset’ observing ‘while the capacity crisis has attracted significant media attention, the inspectors’ findings reveal what is actually going on behind bars’.
In this reporting period prison inspectors were concerned by what they found at the prisons at Cookham Wood, Bristol, Woodhill and Bedford and they issued Urgent Notifications to the Secretary of State for Justice, essentially putting the prisons in special measures. Bristol and Bedford had both previously received Urgent Notifications in 2019 and 2018 respectively.
The report covers the findings of 79 reports, and also notes ongoing serious concerns about the provision for children in custody characterised by ‘drift, decline and failures’ and increasing unrest in immigration detention, compounded by Home Office delays in decision-making.
Inspectors also observed a rise in levels of violence. Official Ministry of Justice safety data indicated a 20% increase in reported rates of violence across adult male prisons in 2023, compared with the year before, with this being linked back to illicit drugs in the prison population. In men’s prisons around one-third (32%) of prisoners told Inspectors that it was easy to get illicit drugs; in women’s prisons, it was around a fifth (21%).
As reported in the Justice Gap the Government is currently facing criticism concerning their strategy for handling the early release of prisoners this Autumn. The Inspectors report found that the usual release process was often rushed and detainees were left without means to travel, particularly for detainees with disabilities. They were not given adequate support and often became homeless as a result of the normal release process.
The Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, speaking to the BBC, placed the blame with the last Conservative government leaving ‘no capacity in the system whatsoever’, accusing them of having ‘no basic responsibility’ in managing the prison population. He referred to ‘many safeguards’ in place for those being released.
Andrea Coomber KC said ‘although the early release scheme starting today will ease some pressure and buy a little time, more action will be needed to achieve a lasting solution.’
