Prison Is No Holiday Camp

Just in case anyone is in any doubt regarding the crisis we have in our prison system, some graphic evidence was provided yesterday by HM Chief Inspector Peter Clarke:-

Introduction

Some people may feel a sense of déjà vu or world-weariness when they hear repeated accounts of poor conditions in our prisons. Many reports from HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) have pointed out that, all too often, prisoners are held in conditions that fall short of what most members of the public would consider as reasonable or decent. I would urge readers not to assume this paper is simply another account of some dilapidated prisons, but to look at the details of what we describe, and then ask themselves whether it is acceptable for prisoners to be held in these conditions in the United Kingdom in 2017. 

It is, of course, right to point out that not every prison holds its prisoners in poor conditions. On the whole, high security prisons, women’s prisons and open prisons provide decent conditions and some good facilities. However, in many of the local prisons and training prisons, the picture is bleak. 

The details of what we have found are set out in this paper, but some of the headlines make for grim reading. Prisoners cannot benefit from education or training if they are confined in their cells for long periods, and they inevitably become frustrated, angry or turn to drugs to ease the tedium. We have found that in local prisons 31% of prisoners report being locked in their cells for at least 22 hours a day, rising to 37% at young adult prisons (holding prisoners aged 18–21). We found large numbers of prisoners at some jails who were locked up for more than 22 hours a day, or throughout the working day. 

The cells in which prisoners are confined for these excessive periods of time vary greatly in their condition, but poor conditions are exacerbated by overcrowding. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) themselves report that in 2016/17 nearly 21,000 prisoners out of some 85,000 in total were held, by their own definition, in overcrowded conditions. This proportion rises in local prisons to over 15,000 of the 31,800 held in such establishments – or 48%. 

Overcrowding often occurs when two or more prisoners are held in a cell designed to hold one. These often have an unscreened or inadequately screened lavatory, frequently without a lid, or sometimes with a makeshift lid made of cardboard, pillowcases or food trays. In these same cells, prisoners are frequently required to eat all their meals – in what are obviously insanitary, unhygienic and degrading conditions. The risks to health inherent in flushing open lavatories in confined spaces which have to serve as a bedroom and dining room (and sometimes as a kitchen) are described in this report and deserve close attention. The accounts from prisoners of what it feels like to eat and sleep in what is, in effect, a shared lavatory make for compelling reading. To compound all of this, our surveys suggest that in only around half of our prisons are prisoners able to get cleaning materials for their cells every week, and ventilation of too many cells is poor. 

In terms of personal hygiene, most prisoners say they are able to have a shower every day, but this falls to 51% in those prisons holding young adults. There is a mixed picture for other issues that have an impact of the everyday lives of prisoners, with about two-thirds of prisoners saying they can get clean sheets each week, and access to telephones is obviously dependent upon prisoners having enough time out of their cells to be able to queue and make a call. 

The concerns and recommendations set out in this paper need to be taken seriously. The aspirations of the prison reform programme will not be met if prisoners are confined in conditions that embitter and demoralise, leaving them unable to access rehabilitative activities and, all too often, turning to illicit drugs to break the boredom born of long periods locked in their cells.

Peter Clarke CVO OBE QPM 

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons August 2017

--oo00oo--

This is what the Guardian had to say:-

Prisons so degrading inmates driven to drugs, says chief inspector

Prisoners across England and Wales are being locked up for long periods in cells that are so insanitary, unhygienic and degrading that it is driving them to drugs, the chief inspector of prisons has said.

The warning from Peter Clarke, a former head of the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism command, comes as prison governors renew their call for a programme of executive release to ease the “full to bursting” situation in prisons across England and Wales.

Andrea Albutt, president of the Prison Governors Association, in her annual conference address on Tuesday will say that incidents of violence, suicide and self-harm are “the worst we have ever seen”.

“Currently our prisons are full to bursting. The government must be brave and reduce the prison population and don’t worry about votes. Don’t dabble, just do it because morally it is the right thing to do,” she will say.

“Twelve-month sentences don’t work and are pointless. This cohort must be dealt with in a different way in the community. Executive release is possible. We have prisoners on IPP [imprisonment for public protection] sentences years past their tariff but still in prison. We have old and infirm prisoners who are no longer a danger to society and we have far too many mentally ill people where prison is absolutely the worst place for them.”

Her call comes as the prison population stands at 85,375 – just 1,124 places below the official “usable operational capacity”. The PGA says there are 40 prisons “of concern”, 10 of which are “very concerning”, while the promise of 10,000 new prison places appears to be a distant dream.

The verdict of the chief inspector of prisons is contained in Life in Prison: Living Conditions, one of a series of “findings reports” which concludes that the situation in many local and training prisons is bleak while conditions in high-security, women’s and open jails are generally acceptable.

“All too often, prisoners are held in conditions that fall short of what most members of the public would consider as reasonable or decent,” said Clarke.

He reports that overcrowded cells, with two or more prisoners, often have an unscreened or inadequately screened lavatory, and ventilation is poor. The report quotes inmates on what it feels like to eat and sleep in what is, in effect, a shared lavatory. In local prisons 31% of prisoners are locked in their cells for at least 22 hours a day.

Clarke said: “The aspirations of the prison reform programme will not be met if prisoners are confined to conditions that embitter and demoralise, leaving them unable to access rehabilitative activities and, all too often, turning to illicit drugs to break the boredom born of long periods locked in their cells.”

The Ministry of Justice responded to the chief inspector’s report saying: “We are investing £1.3bn to modernise the prison estate, closing older prisons that are not fit for purpose and creating in their place high-quality, modern establishments.

“This will help deliver prisons that are more safe and secure, so our staff can work more closely with offenders to change their lives and turn their back on crime for good.”