Saturday 28 April 2018

The Scandal of Prison Deaths

Despite the recent disingenuous announcement regarding prison officer numbers, there is still a massive shortfall brought about by Chris Grayling and there is no sign of the prison death rate reducing as this from the Guardian makes clear:- 

Five inmates die in seven weeks at HMP Birmingham run by G4S

Five inmates have died in the space of seven weeks at Birmingham’s outsourced prison, the latest of them allegedly killing himself in a week in which the Prison Officers Association and the Howard League for Penal Reform have warned of a prison system in crisis. Marcus McGuire, 35, was found dead in his cell on HMP Birmingham’s D-wing at about 9am on Tuesday, the Birmingham Mail reported.

The prison, run by G4S, is reportedly facing two improvement orders from the Ministry of Justice, addressing its levels of violence, hygiene standards and inmate care and treatment, including reducing self-harm. The prison’s director, Rob Kellett, said investigations into the deaths were under way and declined to comment on the specific cases except to say they were unrelated.

While it has the highest number of deaths in absolute terms, HMP Birmingham is one of the country’s biggest prisons. It does not appear to have been the scene of an unusual spate of self-inflicted deaths, such as happened last year at HMP Nottingham or HMP Wood Hill.

On Thursday, POA warned of a “crisis that has been created in the prison service”, citing a big fall in the number of officers since 2010 and soaring rates of self-harm, assaults and hospital attendances by inmates.

Frances Crook, the chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said figures released on Thursday showing a record high number of assaults in prisons were a “symptom of a prison system in crisis”. Four inmates were found dead at HMP Birmingham in March. John Delahaye was found dead in his cell on 5 March in a suspected suicide, days before he was due to stand trial for allegedly stabbing churchgoers in Aston, Birmingham.

Ricardo Holgate, 35, a convicted rapist, was found dead on 26 March, reportedly from a suspected overdose of a synthetic cannabinoid. Andrew Carr, 23, was found dead on 29 or 30 March after reportedly taking drugs smuggled via the toilet into his cell in the prison’s segregation unit, where there is supposed to be heightened security. Neil Black, 34, died on 31 March, apparently from natural causes.

Inquest, a charity that investigates deaths in custody, reported a further death at Birmingham earlier in the year, bringing the total so far in 2018 to six. It is understood the first death was from natural causes. Birmingham has the highest number of deaths of any prison in the year to date, followed by Manchester and Durham with four each and Lindholme with three, according to research by Inquest.

Kellett said: “Every death in custody is a tragedy and is always thoroughly investigated by the prisons and probation ombudsman. While the recent deaths at HMP Birmingham are believed to be unrelated events, investigations are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment further. We are absolutely committed to providing a good standard of accommodation and purposeful activity, and the safety of our staff, partners and those in our custody is our first priority. Where room for improvement is identified we work closely with the Ministry of Justice to agree appropriate steps.”

The MoJ improvement notices were issued in March, before the recent spate of deaths. A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are clear that prisons should be places of safety and reform, and are working closely with G4S to improve conditions for prisoners at HMP Birmingham.”

On Thursday Steve Gillan, general secretary of the POA, sent an open letter to David Gauke, the justice secretary, accusing him of misleading the public by hailing the recruitment of 2,500 new prison officers. The letter pointed out that even with the latest increase, the Prison Service remained 3,789 officers down since 2010. “So the increase since October 2016 does not reflect the destruction to the service caused by austerity measures,” he wrote.

Gillan referred to safety in custody data, published by the MoJ the same day, that showed incidents of self-harm had increased by 11.2% in the year to December 2017, compared with the previous 12 months, from 40,160 to 44,651, and by 65.6% since 2010. Assault incidents had more than doubled in the past eight years and serious assaults had nearly trebled in the same period, the letter pointed out.

“These latest figures are nothing short of a scandal and ministers and employers must take responsibility instead of burying their heads in the sand and pretending a recruitment campaign is going to resolve this clear crisis that has been created by poor policy decisions,” Gillan said.

Kellett said every death in custody was a tragedy, adding: “While the recent deaths at HMP Birmingham are believed to be unrelated events, investigations are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

Kellett, who took charge of the prison in February, praised the work of the staff and added that they “work tirelessly to detect, intercept and confiscate contraband.”

“Since taking charge of HMP Birmingham in February, I have seen at firsthand the great job that our dedicated staff and partners do every day in challenging circumstances,” he said. “The safety of our staff, partners and those in our custody is our first priority. Where room for improvement is identified we work closely with the Ministry of Justice to agree appropriate steps.”

15 comments:

  1. For the prison governor to say the deaths are 'unrelated',even though there all occurred in the same building, is Orwellian doublespeak.

    On Amber Rudd, the only person in the public services who was unaware of the target culture that she presides over.

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    1. Doesn’t read her emails apparently !! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43931118

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  2. Hands up any (deranged) PO’s opting for an OMiC role?

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    1. Care to elaborate?

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    2. Have you forgotten that probation officers already work in prisons! A small minority and always forgotten by our community counterparts Only now are they bothered because they might have to stop drinking tea and actually work with those offenders who need our help and assistance! the only moan I hear is they cant have their phone!! Prisoners self harming and contemplating suicide need the understanding of us! Not is running scared! We recall people all the time back to these places but most wouldnt work in their themselves. Hypocrites!

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    3. I think OMIC will see probation staff walking the landings, escorting prisoners from education and visits, and absorbing loads of paperwork normally done by prison staff (actually under HMPPS and seconded to the custodial estate you become prison staff).
      Whilst I think your point of view is a noble one, be careful what you wish for.

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    4. 19:34 Haha. We all know prisons are the elephants graveyard for probation officers - but not any more! It’s more like you will now need to do some work rather than sitting in you OMU office dead to the world. With OMiC you will be doing the work and no more passing the buck - Community PO’s no longer required! In addition, see how long before you’re required by your governor-whipped SPO to double-up as prison officers and unlock doors !!

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    5. “We recall people all the time back to these places but most wouldnt work in their themselves. Hypocrites!”

      What a dumb statement, luckily you won’t need to use your brain much as an OMiC PO come prison officer. I tell sick people to goto hospital and send my rubbish to the dump, I wouldn’t want to work their either.

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  3. Prison staffing to be shored up by probation officers, leaving unqualified
    and poorly trained pro's in the community. Waiting for the fan to be set to full speed. Keep away from walls!

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    1. The dye was cast as soon as probation became the secondary ‘p’ in HMPPS.

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    2. The “poorly trained po's” are being offered jobs in prison on qualification.

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  4. It's easy to cite NPS drugs as being at the root of all evils in the prison system and being a main contributer to the rise of deaths in custody. They play a part undoubtedly, but they're also being used as an excuse to mask many other failings.
    Access to healthcare, and access to the correct medication is in my opinion a serious issue that needs urgent attention.
    Apart from not being able to access healthcare facilities when needed, many drugs that are prescribed in the community are not being allowed in prisons.
    The assumption is that drugs that are used to control pain, or drugs that are used to treat many mental health issues have the potential to be misused in the prison enviornment, and so are simply not prescribed.
    Given the high number of those people in prison that have mental health problems, it's hardly surprising that some will take their own lives if they are denied the medication necessary to control their conditions.
    Unfortunately, I think prison health care is going to become much worse, and so too the consequences of inadequate provision will grow.

    https://www.ft.com/content/23883b48-447f-11e8-803a-295c97e6fd0b

    'Getafix

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    Replies
    1. The restriction on certain medication then causes problems on release when GPs are reluctant to prescribe because the individual hadn't had the treatment, which they know is effective, whilst in prison.

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  5. Parole News

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/justice-secretary-announces-ambitious-first-steps-in-overhaul-of-parole-board

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/parole-board-response-to-ministry-of-justice-review

    Every day like Monday to Friday as the politician's try to control the news agenda

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  6. On the lines of prison deaths, a death in an immigration centre is a death in custody.
    Given Amber Rudds predicament on immigration at the moment, this is a very interesting read.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/apr/28/amber-rudd-attempt-deport-immigration-witness-blocked-high-court

    'Getafix

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