Prisons in ‘appalling state of crisis’ warns report

There’s an “appalling state of crisis” in the UK prison system with no plan for “desperately needed change” according to a new report.

MPs on the Criminal Justice Committee have warned that safety, security and decency are all lacking in prisons across the country.

The committee condemned the lack of a clear plan for reform and long-term strategy to “reverse the fortunes” of prisons and called for more detailed plans to meet the pledges made.

The report said: “Too often, prisons are identified as needing extra support, but their performance continues to decline.

“There is little point in identifying poor performance if the necessary resources are not then provided to drive improvement.”

Bob Neill, the committee chairman, said there is “what might be called ‘policy by press notice’ without any clear or coherent vision for the future of the prison system”.

He added: “New prison places might be welcome, but they do nothing to improve the appalling condition of much of the current prison estate, nor the prospect of offering a safe environment in which to rehabilitate offenders.”

It is estimated that reoffending cost the UK £18bn for the 2016 cohort.

The report also found:

• A funding plan for several years is “urgently required”
• No guarantees that “necessary infrastructure” would be in place to avoid overcrowding of prisons in the future
• Government announcements on sentencing may lead to an increased prison population without the infrastructure to cope with it
• The MOJ should move away from national contracts for prisons
• No clear accountability for prisons between their governors or the justice department
• It takes too long to get security equipment like body scanners into prisons

There was also repeated criticism of recruitment and retention of staff in prisons, as well as training and incentives employees get.

Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “This report is a scathing indictment of a political failure.

“The Government doesn’t hesitate to promise more jail time for more people, but it has no plan for how to deliver a decent, safe or effective prison system to accommodate them.

“People’s lives and public safety are at stake, and making ‘policy by press notice’ isn’t good enough.

“The people who live and work in prison deserve to be told when overcrowding will end, and dilapidated prisons finally be shut.”

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The idea of constantly expanding the number of people in prison is simply untenable and at the root of the problem.”

She said politicians come up with “superficial quick-fix answers when, clearly, a more fundamental solution is needed”.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “We know many prisons face challenges but we have been confronting those head-on by recruiting over 4,400 extra officers in the last three years.

“This Government is investing tens of millions in security and improving conditions, an extra £156 million for maintenance, £100 million to ramp up security and tackle drugs issues, and £2.5 billion to create 10,000 additional prison places.

“We also fully recognise the value of purposeful activity to reduce re-offending and cut crime, which is why we launched our Education and Employment Strategy which has led to hundreds of new businesses signing up to work with prisoners and help their rehabilitation.”

(c) Sky News 2019: Prisons in ‘appalling state of crisis’ warns report