‘Woeful’ levels of activity and long lock-up times are causing ‘frustration, boredom and despair’ and fuelling the huge demand for drugs in the prison estate, says chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor in his final annual report.
The widespread ingress of drugs remains a ‘grave threat’ to stability in prisons, the report says, with increasingly high rates of violence and self-harm. ‘Far too little’ was being done to reduce demand, he said, or to provide any meaningful incentives for prisoners to change their behaviour. Many were spending 22 hours or more locked in their cells each day.
Organised crime gangs were able to act with impunity, the document continues, with ongoing security failings such as damaged windows and broken CCTV, and drones able to deliver drugs and other contraband to order. With a ‘few exceptions’, drug recovery wings were also ‘ineffective or overrun by drugs’ and inexperienced staff were frequently ‘manipulated or simply ignored by prisoners’ it adds.
Too many people were also being released to no settled address, while around 20 per cent of prisoners were now being held on remand – with not enough done to support this vulnerable population. ‘This is a threat that needs to be taken seriously at the highest levels of government,’ the report states. ‘Only when drugs are kept out, and prisoners are involved in genuinely purposeful activity that will help them to get work and resettle successfully on release, can we expect to see prisons rehabilitate rather than just contain the men and women they hold.’
The government launched its Independent prison review last week, with a remit to look at the challenges of drugs, drones and other serious security threats. The Prison Officers’ Association, however, commented that there had been ‘dozens of so-called independent reports dating back 30 years and more’ and little done to ‘make things better’.
A lack of regular, purposeful activity had been a key factor in the ‘concerning rise in drug use and violence, as well as continued high rates of self-harm’, said Taylor. ‘At a cost of £59,000 a year for each prison place the taxpayer has the right to expect more for their money. In the best jails prisoners live in an environment with clear rules, where they are incentivised to behave. We know that if they are supported to get work on release, recover from drug addiction and maintain meaningful relationships, it is possible to reduce their likelihood of reoffending and, crucially, create fewer victims of crime.’
Report available here