Prisons on Brink of Riots, Says Former Chief Prison Inspector

Former Chief Prison Inspector Warns Prisons are on the Verge of Riots

April 23, 2024 TruthUSA

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.

Mr. Hardwick has told The Times that UK prisons are at risk of descending into chaos due to the poor conditions for prisoners and escalating levels of 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.

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 another pressing issue affecting the prison system, with 87,247 individuals in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales, exceeding the safety capacity set by the government, according to the Howard League for Penal Reform.

“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.

Last year, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reported unsafe and “inhumane” conditions at Wandsworth prison. The board cited issues with staffing, overcrowding, and a rising number of assaults. This review was conducted before the escape of Khalife in September 2023.

“These are challenging times to live and work in prisons, with rising drugs, violence, self-harm, and overcrowded, squalid conditions in many jails,” said the HM Inspectorate of Prisons earlier this month.

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.

The government’s plan to expand prisons aims to create 20,000 new prison spaces by the mid-2020s. Ministers are also exploring the possibility of transferring prisoners to another country’s prison system if it meets British standards in facilities, regime, and rehabilitation.

The Prison Reform Trust has critiqued the idea of transferring prisoners to foreign prisons as a costly and complex way to increase capacity.

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