Former Chief Prison Inspector Warns Prisons are on the Verge of Riots
The Ministry of Justice has predicted a future increase in the prison population, reaching up to 106,300 by March 2027.
British prisons are on the verge of riots, as stated by Nick Hardwick, the former chief inspector of prisons from 2010 to 2016.
Mr. Hardwick has sounded the alarm that the UK prison system is in a critical state, suffering from overcrowding, staff shortages, and a surge in violence.
“Britain’s prisons are a tinderbox—one spark and it may kick off,” he warned.
The former chair of the Parole Board for England and Wales, Mr. Hardwick, highlighted that prisoners are spending the majority of their time locked in their cells, sometimes for over 20 hours a day.
“We are very close to the conditions prior to the 1990 riots in Strangeways. It’s a dangerous time. You’ve got a general level of frustration, so if you get a spark, that’s when stuff will kick off,” Mr. Hardwick expressed.
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The government has recognized the need to recruit more prison workers to address the staffing shortage.
Prisons Crisis
This crisis is part of a larger staffing crisis in the prison system. The HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has identified “worrying levels of inexperience” and “significant problems” in staff retention throughout the criminal justice system.
A report from HMCPSI revealed that prison officers are not required to have a face-to-face interview with the governor during the recruitment process, and the prison service does not conduct sufficient screening.
“Overcrowding is not evenly distributed across the prison estate, so some prisons hold many more people than they are designed to do so safely,” reported the charity.
Prisons in the UK experiencing overcrowding include HM Prison Leeds, HM Prison Durham, and HM Prison Wandsworth.
The report noted a persistently high rate of reoffending at 37 percent and a 13 percent increase in prisoners recalled to prison compared to the previous year.
