Tuesday 21 October 2014

Prison in Crisis 5

While we wait for news regarding a legal challenge to TR, we would do well to keep an eye on the growing crisis in prison, starting with the very sobering news as to how the situation is leading to a dramatic rise in the suicide rate, outlined here in the Guardian:-  
Inmate suicide figures expose human toll of prison crisis
The human toll of the crisis gripping prisons in England and Wales is exposed with new figures obtained by the Guardian revealing that 125 prisoners have killed themselves in 20 months – an average of more than six a month.

For the first time the Guardian has identified the individuals behind the statistics that show suicide is at its highest rate in prisons for nine years, and there is no sign that the scale of the tragedy is being checked. The investigation, which examined all suicides between January 2013 and 28 August 2014, found four women and 121 men, aged between 18 and 74, killed themselves in the adult prison system. Since then and up to 2 October another nine men, aged between 21 and 46, killed themselves, bringing the total number of self-inflicted deaths since January 2013 to 134. Three people killed themselves on one day, 1 September 2014.
The Prison Service ombudsman, Nigel Newcomen, described the deaths as “utterly unacceptable” in a modern age and said they reflected the “rising tide of despair” across the prison system. He said his recommendations to save future lives were being ignored. “There is no question the Prison Service is more challenged now than [it has been] in a generation,” Newcomen said. “My job is to draw lessons from these individual human tragedies and I don’t think that adequate heed has been taken of them.” He said the “appalling upsurge in suicides” meant there was a need to review the approach within prisons, including “more resources being applied”.
Chris Grayling, the justice secretary, has repeatedly claimed that there is no pattern to the rise in suicides in the last 20 months. But the Guardian has identified distinct themes in many of the deaths, after examining reports from inquests, speaking to family lawyers and relatives, and analysing the investigations by the Prison Service ombudsman.
These include: failures in the assessment of risk in the face of obvious warning signs, lack of training for prison staff, inadequate monitoring once risk was identified, and insufficient communication with families, particularly in the case of vulnerable young inmates. Many of those who took their own lives had mental health problems.
The growing prison crisis is examined in detail from a former prisoner's perspective on the excellent blog by Alex Cavendish:-
Chris Grayling: Cooking Up a Prison Crisis
As regular readers of this blog will be aware, I refer in many posts to the ongoing crisis in our prisons. In my view this is attributable to three key factors: substantial budget reductions, serious overcrowding in many establishments and shortages of frontline staff. This sad state of affairs is, of course, denied by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). They prefer to use the weasel word ‘challenging’ and pretend that all is well in our nicks.

Whichever way you choose to look at the problem, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to deny the facts. We have too many people in prison (many of them non-violent offenders or unconvicted people held on remand) and too few staff to manage them. This dangerous combination of factors is creating a highly toxic mix.

According to the latest report prepared by the Howard League for Penal Reform, using the MOJ’s own figures, the number of prison officers at public-sector prisons has been cut by 41 percent in under four years (see here).

These statistics reveal that there were just 14,170 officer grades at the end of June 2014, compared to more than 24,000 at the end of August 2010. According to the report, a total of 1,375 frontline staff posts went as a result of the closure of 15 public-sector prisons. However, if you are going to make a real humdinger of a prison crisis that will by talked about for years, then these are the sort of reductions that will be essential. Remember, crushing staff morale is absolutely essential in your prison crisis recipe.

When you have your overcrowded, highly volatile cons on one side and your demoralised, understaffed screws on the other, the next phase is to mix the two together and stir vigorously. A great way to get cons to kick off is to introduce a revised and politically-motivated Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) system that even most prison governors reckon is unfair and undermines respect. Confiscating a con’s personal possessions that they have saved up for over many months or even years is a really great way to ratchet up the tensions.
The Guardian highlights the concern over whistleblowing as tension rises:-
Prison whistleblowers being threatened with dismissal
Whistleblowers in the Prison Service are being threatened with dismissal for raising serious concerns about their ability to keep inmates safe and their fears over soaring levels of violence. The attempts to silence staff have been condemned by a Conservative member of parliament, who was approached in confidence by a number of officers working at a prison in his constituency during the summer with details of how staffing shortages were causing concerns over safety.

The MP, Gavin Williamson, said the “arrogant, high-handed” attitude to those raising legitimate concerns risked creating another scandal in the public sector on the scale of the Mid Staffordshire affair in the NHS. After the MP was approached an officer was singled out by the prison service and has been served a disciplinary notice which could end with his dismissal. Williamson told the Guardian: “It’s a totally disgraceful situation and goes against everything that we want to be seeing within the public sector, where whistleblowing needs to be encouraged when the concerns of those working within the system are not being addressed internally.”

Officers are facing dismissal after raising concerns about the high levels of violence within prisons, their fears for their own safety and that of inmates, and predicting that short staffing will lead to more rioting. In HMP Lewes Kim Lennon is fighting for her job after raising her worries about the safety of her and her colleagues in the local newspaper in August. Allegations of a crackdown on whistleblowers follow an investigation by the Guardian which revealed that a distinct patterns of failings was contributing to more than six suicides of prisoners a month on average. Between January last year and 2 October this year, 134 inmates took their own lives – three on one day in September 2014.

The shadow justice secretary, Sadiq Khan, has urged ministers to launch an urgent inquiry into the rising rate of suicides in prisons. “Time and again the chief inspector has warned that staff shortages and overcrowding are the underlying causes of violence and deaths. Yet ministers have their fingers in their ears, and carry on denying there’s a prisons crisis,” he said.

The allegations come ahead of the chief inspector of prisons’ annual report. The report, due out on Tuesday, will give a detailed examination of the state of prisons in England and Wales. Williamson said he was approached by prison officers from HMP Featherstone in his constituency of South Staffordshire who brought their concerns about the rising levels of violence, their anger that inmates were not being brought to justice for attacks against staff and how short staffing was affecting safety.

40 comments:

  1. Michelle Dewberry has just extensively covered this on the paper reviews on SkyNews (21/10/14 at 7.20am) Michelle's no fool and raised some good points particularly about the horrific suicide rate that we all should be concerned about.

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  2. In addition to the lose of life, the pain and suffering endured by relatives, we should not forget the impact on staff within the establishments. I worked in a local gaol early 2000's when there was a spate of suicides and even the most hardy and long in the tooth prison officers found it difficult to manage their own feelings.

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  3. my mates a defence solicitor probation when they make an appearance in court routinely stand up and recommend jail for petty offending , breacch,for those with mental health and addiction who are too much trouble. to him now and clients probation are the enemy , sad but true, dominated by poorly trained ,punitive staff ....

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    1. Sad reality is when this u12 mth mandatory licence comes in I bet use of custody goes UP cos bench can feel that both punishment and rehab satisfied. Will call for more skilled Prob Court interventions not less

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    2. Anon at 09:14 does not sound like the service I work for. Have a look at the sentencing guidelines for a better informed idea of what happens in court. We also have mental health and substance misuse specialists working alongside. Courts have their own culture also, and some can be more punitive than others in their approach, despite the advice or proposals of probation. There are also a vocal minorityof criminal advocates who advise their clients to plead not guilty, or deny a breach even before they have looked at the breach report proposal, and even against their client's own wishes. A probation service that sought only to 'lock people up' would soon be raising concern. Have you been to you're local magistrates' court to observe? It might give a better, and less selective, idea of court proceedings.

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    3. That's because probation are prosecuting you idiot!!

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    4. Your mate's a liar if he says Probation 'routinely stand up and recommend jail for petty offending'. Solicitors encouraging impressionable clients to view Probation as the enemy make major contribution to increasing crime and ruining the lives of both their clients and their victims

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    5. Nice. Prosecuting is part of my job. It doesn't mean I set out to send people to prison.

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  4. Just reflecting on some of later posts on yesterdays blog..as we get nearer news confirming successful bidders at end ofthis month (and are still waiting to hear next step of Napo JR) there is likely to be greater anxiety and unhappiness experienced by CRC colleagues so hope we can all be supportive of eachother.

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    1. I'm very conscious of this and thanks for reminding us all.

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    2. yes, many of my friends are keeping me informed of the CRC horrors. and I also commented on yday of the likely impact of the fall out on those employed by partners, commenting on one woman's treatment already.

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  5. I've been in touch with Simon Israel and he needs someone who has something going on now and is willing to go on camera - please!!! These are the things he is looking for:

    1. Undisclosed and not in public domain
    2. That makes one go 'shit, I didn't know that was going on'
    3. Embarassing for the MOJ (yes I know you're reading this, MOJ!)
    4. Can talk without acronyms!
    5. Related to TR

    If anyone is unsure you are welcome to call me on 07854 668050 or email on joanna840@googlemail.com

    Simon's email address is simon_israel@icloud.com

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    1. Someone willing to get sacked, you mean?

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  6. and don't forget the loyal admin staff, their value never fully recognised.

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  7. 0946 . well aware of culture i am an ex po and saw daily , poor quality,codemning;biased ,sanctimonious reports which had three pages commenting how risky a shoplifter is , this is why jails are full. your figthing for a service that doesnt exist anymore ....

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    1. And I don't agree, so where are we now. One or two peoples observations do not equal the truth about a national service

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    2. I am the 15:12 poster. I agree because the observations were generally true of the probation culture that prevailed in the 'punishment in the community' era, which corrupted the earlier probation ethos of advise, assist and befriend. The National standards were oppressive and technical breaches, irrespective of risk, were pursued zealously, in line with targets and managerial encouragements. The breach departments were the kingpins and they expanded enormously. I think of all the recalls to prison because of technical breaches, it bloated the prison population and it was something that Napo highlighted at the time. To be 'on message' you had be tough. Without any evidence it was asserted that a no-nonsense approach would improve the credibility of probation. And many probation staff embraced these approaches. Not all, but enough to make a difference to the prison population and raise an enforcement profile in the courts. It was regressive, not progressive. There was a change in values and it suited many.

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    3. That sounds a truly awful, and alien scenario and I think I have therefore been most fortunate to be part of a culture where this approach has not been embraced. I do not see "biased, sanctimonious" reports on a daily basis or at all. I do see colleagues working extremely hard to provide relevant support for a wide variety of individuals under difficult circumstances and do not want to see the probation service as I know it torn apart and privatised by this govt.

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    4. Over past 6 years or so have read PSR's of recent qualified PO's which propose custody.....Agree, the service we once knew died years ago. Carry on the fight though,there are many good people left.

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    5. This all certainly rings true with me and my time in a Court Team as a CDO and was something I covered extensively in the early days of this blog. I have only ever 'proposed' custody on one occasion for very specific reasons.

      I've always felt that the correct position to take on issues of custody is to accept that it might be/is inevitable, but definitely not to propose or recommend. I don't feel this is just semantics - it's fundamental to what I believe probation is all about and for this reason I will always be 'oldskool'.

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    6. I always remember when I spoke to the defence solicitor of a young man remanded in custody for a serious offence. I bumped into the solicitor as his visit was after my PSR interview. He asked what I was going to propose and I said SSO. He was horrified and said, in his experience, Judges got very annoyed with PSR's that had community recommendations when the offence was so serious that custody was the only realistic option and they often ended up passing a harsher sentence.

      On a different note, I qualified not so long ago and I get mildly annoyed at this prevailing idea that officers not trained under the befriend, assist and advise era are all uneccasarily punitive and itching to send people to custody. We're not, I'm someone, unlike some of my more experienced colleagues, that sees something like recall as the last available option to use.

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  8. http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29706890

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    1. There has been a "rapid deterioration" in prison safety in England and Wales, the prisons inspector has warned.

      Nick Hardwick said staff shortages, population pressures and prison policy all contributed to problems, with a 69% rise in self-inflicted deaths.

      The Ministry of Justice said there was no evidence linking the rise in suicides to government policy.

      Presenting his annual report, Mr Hardwick also pointed to problems involving so-called legal highs.

      He highlighted the growing availability of the drugs as a cause of debt, bullying and health problems, warning their use had grown sharply.

      Reduced staffing
      According to the HM Inspectorate of Prisons annual report, cannabis substitutes Spice and Black Mamba were particular "causes for concern" in more than a third of the jails inspected.

      It says current mandatory random drug testing does not detect legal highs and reduced staffing had made some "suspicion" testing programmes "virtually inoperable".

      Mr Hardwick said profits for prisoners selling legal highs outstripped other drugs because they sold for 10 times as much as they would outside jail.

      But warning cracks in the system had "widened", Mr Hardwick's report said: "Of most concern, the number of self-inflicted deaths rose by 69% from 52 in 2012-13 to 88 in 2013-14, the highest figure in 10 years."

      Bullying was a factor in "many cases", the report said, warning that adult male prisons were becoming "more violence every year".

      Andrew Selous, the Conservative prisons minister, said it had been a "challenging year" for prisons staff dealing with "major organisational change".

      But he added: "During this time we have always had enough staff to deliver decent and safe prison regimes, and this will continue to be our top priority.

      "We remain committed to reducing violence and understanding the reasons for the recent rise in self-inflicted deaths.

      "But this is a complex issue and the chief inspector has failed to provide any evidence to support his assertion that this is linked to the reforms made under this government."

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    2. Isn't it nice to hear a fresh take on the situation from the new part-time minister? Oh wait, what I actually mean is, same shit different day.

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  9. http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-lords-29693992

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    1. The government defeated an attempt to release hundreds of prisoners in jail on defunct sentences, as the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill began its report stage in the House of lords.

      Former lord justice of appeal Lord Lloyd of Berwick told peers it was a scandal that 650 prisoners were still serving Indeterminate Sentencing for Public Protection, or IPPs, long after their short-term tariffs had expired.

      IPPs were introduced in 2003, designed for serious sexual and violent offenders in England and Wales.

      But IPP numbers mushroomed, leading to many prisoners remaining in jail well past their minimum terms, and were abolished in 2012 after what Lord Lloyd called "a disastrous" implementation.

      Hundreds were still in prison - in some cases up to eight years after their original tariffs had been completed - Lord Lloyd told peers.

      "It doesn't take much imagination to see the sense of injustice that this has created," he said.

      'Growing worse'
      Of the 650 prisoners still in jail, eight had been given tariffs of less than three months, 22 less than six months and 27 less than nine months, all of which were imposed before 2008.

      "How can that be justified?" Lord Lloyd asked peers.

      Lord Lloyd said the Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling had been given the power to speed-up releases of IPP prisoners but had declined to exercise his discretion, despite the fact that 500 of the 650 presented a "low or at most medium risk of re-offending" on current assessments.

      Backing the move, another former lord justice of appeal Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood described the situation as "truly shocking".

      Lord Brown said he had never come across "an injustice as plain and persistent as this on an institutionalised basis".

      He added: "It grows worse with every passing year."

      However Justice Minister Lord Faulks said the government did not think it was right to "retrospectively to alter IPP sentences that have been lawfully imposed prior to the sentence".

      He told peers: "I'm painfully aware of the consequences of keeping any prisoner one day longer than he or she ought to be kept in prison, because of the expense that involves - expense we can ill afford.

      "But the Secretary of State has to balance justice and fairness with his duty to protect the public."

      Countering Lord Lloyd's earlier points he told peers that many of the prisoners were still a risk to the public.

      Out of a sample of 100 prisoners from the group 80 were found to be at a "high risk" of causing serious harm in a 2013 analyses, with no prisoners assessed of being at "low risk".

      "To release all of these prisoners now would be to run an unacceptable risk to the public," he said.

      Lord Lloyd's amendment was defeated by 170 votes to 80, with a government majority of 90.

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    2. I suspect a future Minister of Justice will come to regret that Grayling and his daft backer Cameron rejected that spade that would have helped them get out of the hole the Labour Government dug for them - but I doubt it will get more than a passing mention in the media.

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    3. Releasing hundreds of IPP prisoners at a stroke would be a logistical nightmare. I can't see any government publicly regretting the outcome of this vote any time soon, not least because no-one thinks they'll win any votes for being 'soft' on crime.

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  10. Doncha just love statistics? "500 of 650 presented low or med risk". So that leaves 150 probably high risk? Yet Faulks could only find 80 out of his sample of 100 yet still has every reason, therefore, to shaft the Low or Med 500. What a crock. Andrew, they were offered a fleet of JCBs, not just a shovel, to clear the ground.

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    1. 'Only' find 80? how is 80% of the sample 'only'?

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    2. I know not how to imply tongue-in-cheek when posting. I was suggesting that if there were 500 low to med out of 650, then how come Faulks could only find 80 when he had 150 to choose from; or that, perhaps, Faulks thought 80% are evil to be a scary enough statistic to sway the Lords into locking all 650 up forever. Will that do as an answer?

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    3. Lord Lloyd was referring to risk of reoffending. Lord Faulks was referring to risk of harm.

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  11. Progressives are Occupying Parliament Square London tonight, the Green MP Jenny Jones has been arrested; people are fighting back. They people deserve out support.

    papa

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  12. I worry about sending young men into prison. I recently recalled a young man with learning difficulties, who prior to committing à further offence had been to hospital 2 days running with psychosis. He was supposed to be reassessed by community health team. I requested he be admitted to health care to be reassessed, that never happened. Since then I have struggled to get any info from the prison. He will go to Crown Court and the likelihood is that whoever writes the report will not even bother to liaise with me.

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    1. I have often felt that people with learning disabilities are completely misunderstood by the criminal justice system and get a very raw deal full stop. TR and the split is just going to make matters a whole lot worse for this group.....

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    2. Not just young men - I'm working with a client in his 30s on a community order, who was recently imprisoned for 4 weeks for possession of a craft knife - though they let his order carry on. He was sent to our B Cat local and has told me that the wing was run by the prisoners, with the two - and sometimes one or none - staff more or less shut in their office for safety. On his first day he was set on by eight prisoners and carried to a cell at the end of the landing, where he had a spoon inserted in his rectum to see if he was carrying any drugs. He heard the same thing happening to other new arrivals later in his stay. He is hardly a newcomer to prison life, but this has traumatised him - he said conditions have never been so bad.

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    3. Yes I have been told about prisoners running the wings and spoons being inserted to search for drugs. Wonder if it is the same prison or if it is happening many places. What can we do? Where do we report this?

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  13. Before the recent cutbacks in prison I made a great effort to work with and support men with learning difficulties because back then they could be left to rot, now they definitely will be left to rot. Currently I spend all my time tied to the bloody computer writing parole reports and addendum after addendum or preparing for what seems an exponential growth in Oral Hearings. I can now only fire fight which means seeing those I'm told to see, or those I must see to write reports. The quiet ones who are often the ones with learning difficulties get pushed to the back. Its dangerous in prison for staff and inmates alike but its bloody tragic for the most needy.

    papa

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  14. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11176970/Should-muggers-go-to-prison.html

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