Prison population set to rise despite overcrowding crisis
Prisoner numbers are expected to rise by thousands over the next five years, according to estimates released amid warnings of a crisis in jails in England and Wales. The prison population of England and Wales was 83,165 as of Friday and is projected to increase steadily by 3,200 to 86,400 by March 2023, figures released by the Ministry of Justice show.
In the long term, projected increases would be driven by an expected rise in offenders sentenced to terms of four years or more, the research paper said. The numbers of over-60and 70-year-olds in prison were projected to increase, driven by increases in convictions for sexual offending, it added.
The figures come in a week when Birmingham prison was removed from private operator G4S and returned to state control following the shock findings of an unannounced inspection. Prison reform campaigners warned that the dire condition of HMP Birmingham was not unique and reflected a broader crisis driven by overcrowding.
Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “In a week dominated by the crisis in prisons now, these projections for the future are still the most important document in the minister’s in-tray.” Dawson said there was no “realistic” option for the government to build enough prisons space to accommodate the projected rise in places and it needed to develop a policy to lower demand for prison.
“That can start with delivering on the promise of fewer short sentences, but it must also include a review of long sentences for more serious crime,” Dawson said. “That means revisiting maximum and minimum penalties, a parole system focused on safe release at the first opportunity, and a means to review the longest sentences when their purpose has been served.
“We face the unedifying spectacle of a prison system where the length of sentence destroys rather than rebuilds lives, dominated by a growing population of sick and dying old men.” The over-50-year-old population is projected to grow from 13,616 in June 2018, to 14,100 in June 2022, while the over-60 population is projected to grow from 5,009 to 5,600 in the same period. The over-70 population is projected to grow from 1,681 to 2,000.
On Monday, Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons, announced that he had invoked the urgent notification process in respect of Birmingham prison, meaning the justice secretary, David Gauke, is required to draw up an emergency turnaround plan. It is the third use of the power since it was created. Clarke and his inspectors discovered widespread drug use, high levels of violence and filthy conditions with blood and rat droppings on the floors and walls.
Richard Burgon, the shadow justice secretary, said: “Our prisons are already facing an emergency, with some of the worst conditions that inspectors have ever seen. Given the Conservatives’ lack of a serious plan to fix this mess, these figures suggest that a crisis driven by dangerous levels of overcrowding, understaffing and cuts is set to deepen even further.”
The Ministry of Justice said: “We are committed to making prisons places of safety and reform and have ambitious plans to transform our estate. We are clear that there will always be enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts.”
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On Sunday the Observer highlighted how the cull of prison staff under Grayling has left the Service devoid of experienced staff:-
Loss of senior managers led to UK’s prison crisis
Hundreds of senior staff and management have left the Prison Service in the past five years without being replaced, new figures reveal, which has led to “dangerous” flaws in the system, according to campaigners. The exodus of crucial experienced staff has coincided with record levels of assaults, suicides and self-harm in jails in England and Wales and forced the government to take action to increase prison officer numbers after almost a decade of cuts.
Official figures obtained by the Observer from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under freedom of information legislation show that 40 senior prison managers have left in the past five years but only two have joined – one of whom quit less than a year later. There were 205 outgoing managers compared with 23 incoming, while only a single replacement was hired in place of 295 custodial managers.
About 17,000 staff left the service between 2012 and 2016, with 106 operational managers exiting in 2016, up from 47 in 2012. The only net increase came in non-operational roles, with 52 more psychologists and 142 more administrative assistants.
The revelations will pile further pressure on the government to reconsider its policy of outsourcing prisons to private contractors. The MoJ had to draft in an extra 30 prison officers to HMP Birmingham last week after being forced to take the G4S-run institution back into state control. An inspection found the jail to be “in a state of crisis” with drug use rife and blood, vomit and cockroaches in the corridors. The chief inspector of prisons, Peter Clarke, said gangs could perpetrate violence “with near impunity” and that staff were afraid and experienced bullying.
Separate figures released by the MoJ forecast the prison population in England and Wales, which has nearly doubled since 1993, would grow by more than 3,200 over the next five years to 86,400 by March 2023. More than half of prisons are now “overcrowded” by their own definition.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said it “could take a decade” to repair the loss of leadership and experience. “Prisons are having a crisis of middle management and this could pose considerable dangers,” she said. “While it’s good to bring in young blood to work for the prison service, like with any profession they need help and guidance. If there’s a rat infestation or a riot, you need to be able to turn to someone with years of experience.”
Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, agreed. “Many governors welcome the opportunity that recruiting new staff represents – but not in prisons where confidence has collapsed and new officers have to learn their craft in the midst of fear and chaos,” he said. “It is no accident that when a prison has got out of hand, the response normally includes reducing prisoner numbers.That is the relief that the system as a whole also needs if new staff are to stay and become competent.”
Earlier this year the Observer revealed that since 2010 prisons in England and Wales have lost a combined 70,000 years of officer experience. The number of prison officers with less than three years’ experience has more than doubled.
Richard Burgon, shadow justice secretary, said: “Across all grades, there are still nearly 7,000 fewer staff in the Prison Service than when the Tories came to office. That is the root cause of the repeated crisis in our prisons – a situation that has now clearly become a prisons emergency. But these problems run much deeper than a simple head count. Thousands of years’ worth of vital prisons experience, built up over decades, has been lost for good as valued staff are axed or leave because of ever-worsening conditions. This poses a long-term threat to the stability of our prisons and underlines the recklessness of the government’s race to-the-bottom in our prisons system.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “The proportion of senior managers in the service has not changed since 2011. As with any other organisation, we often promote staff with extensive experience to fill roles vacated when, for example, people retire.”
Prisoner numbers are expected to rise by thousands over the next five years, according to estimates released amid warnings of a crisis in jails in England and Wales. The prison population of England and Wales was 83,165 as of Friday and is projected to increase steadily by 3,200 to 86,400 by March 2023, figures released by the Ministry of Justice show.
In the long term, projected increases would be driven by an expected rise in offenders sentenced to terms of four years or more, the research paper said. The numbers of over-60and 70-year-olds in prison were projected to increase, driven by increases in convictions for sexual offending, it added.
The figures come in a week when Birmingham prison was removed from private operator G4S and returned to state control following the shock findings of an unannounced inspection. Prison reform campaigners warned that the dire condition of HMP Birmingham was not unique and reflected a broader crisis driven by overcrowding.
Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “In a week dominated by the crisis in prisons now, these projections for the future are still the most important document in the minister’s in-tray.” Dawson said there was no “realistic” option for the government to build enough prisons space to accommodate the projected rise in places and it needed to develop a policy to lower demand for prison.
“That can start with delivering on the promise of fewer short sentences, but it must also include a review of long sentences for more serious crime,” Dawson said. “That means revisiting maximum and minimum penalties, a parole system focused on safe release at the first opportunity, and a means to review the longest sentences when their purpose has been served.
“We face the unedifying spectacle of a prison system where the length of sentence destroys rather than rebuilds lives, dominated by a growing population of sick and dying old men.” The over-50-year-old population is projected to grow from 13,616 in June 2018, to 14,100 in June 2022, while the over-60 population is projected to grow from 5,009 to 5,600 in the same period. The over-70 population is projected to grow from 1,681 to 2,000.
On Monday, Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons, announced that he had invoked the urgent notification process in respect of Birmingham prison, meaning the justice secretary, David Gauke, is required to draw up an emergency turnaround plan. It is the third use of the power since it was created. Clarke and his inspectors discovered widespread drug use, high levels of violence and filthy conditions with blood and rat droppings on the floors and walls.
Richard Burgon, the shadow justice secretary, said: “Our prisons are already facing an emergency, with some of the worst conditions that inspectors have ever seen. Given the Conservatives’ lack of a serious plan to fix this mess, these figures suggest that a crisis driven by dangerous levels of overcrowding, understaffing and cuts is set to deepen even further.”
The Ministry of Justice said: “We are committed to making prisons places of safety and reform and have ambitious plans to transform our estate. We are clear that there will always be enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts.”
--oo00oo--
On Sunday the Observer highlighted how the cull of prison staff under Grayling has left the Service devoid of experienced staff:-
Loss of senior managers led to UK’s prison crisis
Hundreds of senior staff and management have left the Prison Service in the past five years without being replaced, new figures reveal, which has led to “dangerous” flaws in the system, according to campaigners. The exodus of crucial experienced staff has coincided with record levels of assaults, suicides and self-harm in jails in England and Wales and forced the government to take action to increase prison officer numbers after almost a decade of cuts.
Official figures obtained by the Observer from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under freedom of information legislation show that 40 senior prison managers have left in the past five years but only two have joined – one of whom quit less than a year later. There were 205 outgoing managers compared with 23 incoming, while only a single replacement was hired in place of 295 custodial managers.
About 17,000 staff left the service between 2012 and 2016, with 106 operational managers exiting in 2016, up from 47 in 2012. The only net increase came in non-operational roles, with 52 more psychologists and 142 more administrative assistants.
The revelations will pile further pressure on the government to reconsider its policy of outsourcing prisons to private contractors. The MoJ had to draft in an extra 30 prison officers to HMP Birmingham last week after being forced to take the G4S-run institution back into state control. An inspection found the jail to be “in a state of crisis” with drug use rife and blood, vomit and cockroaches in the corridors. The chief inspector of prisons, Peter Clarke, said gangs could perpetrate violence “with near impunity” and that staff were afraid and experienced bullying.
Separate figures released by the MoJ forecast the prison population in England and Wales, which has nearly doubled since 1993, would grow by more than 3,200 over the next five years to 86,400 by March 2023. More than half of prisons are now “overcrowded” by their own definition.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said it “could take a decade” to repair the loss of leadership and experience. “Prisons are having a crisis of middle management and this could pose considerable dangers,” she said. “While it’s good to bring in young blood to work for the prison service, like with any profession they need help and guidance. If there’s a rat infestation or a riot, you need to be able to turn to someone with years of experience.”
Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, agreed. “Many governors welcome the opportunity that recruiting new staff represents – but not in prisons where confidence has collapsed and new officers have to learn their craft in the midst of fear and chaos,” he said. “It is no accident that when a prison has got out of hand, the response normally includes reducing prisoner numbers.That is the relief that the system as a whole also needs if new staff are to stay and become competent.”
Earlier this year the Observer revealed that since 2010 prisons in England and Wales have lost a combined 70,000 years of officer experience. The number of prison officers with less than three years’ experience has more than doubled.
Richard Burgon, shadow justice secretary, said: “Across all grades, there are still nearly 7,000 fewer staff in the Prison Service than when the Tories came to office. That is the root cause of the repeated crisis in our prisons – a situation that has now clearly become a prisons emergency. But these problems run much deeper than a simple head count. Thousands of years’ worth of vital prisons experience, built up over decades, has been lost for good as valued staff are axed or leave because of ever-worsening conditions. This poses a long-term threat to the stability of our prisons and underlines the recklessness of the government’s race to-the-bottom in our prisons system.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “The proportion of senior managers in the service has not changed since 2011. As with any other organisation, we often promote staff with extensive experience to fill roles vacated when, for example, people retire.”
--oo00oo--
Private Eye explains why the figures can never stack up with prison privatisation:-
https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/letter-david-fleming-august-28-2018-9006793/
ReplyDeleteTime to send probation officers in then!!! What a bloody shambles
ReplyDeleteThe prison population is not unlike house prices. An initial observation on my part, I'll leave you to draw your on conclusions?
ReplyDelete