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The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Violence ‘excessively high' in prisons driven by overcrowding and drugs
Violence remained 'excessively high' across the prison estate last year driven by overcrowding, inadequate mental health support and a surge in drug use, an independent watchdog has warned. An annual report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), made up of volunteers tasked by ministers with scrutinising conditions in custody, revealed how the issues created volatile environments while the physical setting 'remained appalling' in 2024. The body reported poor conditions were becoming normalised after years of inaction and that staff have become desensitised to seeing people in acute distress. It comes as the Ministry of Justice published analysis on Thursday that prisoners kept in overcrowded jail cells in England and Wales are nearly 20% more likely to be involved in assaults. Of the concerns over violence, the IMB report said: 'This was often attributed to debt, which was inextricably linked to the drugs crisis. 'Population pressures also made it difficult to defuse volatile environments, as it was difficult to separate prisoners in conflict. 'Drugs and illicit items were IMBs' most common safety concern and boards' concerns about drugs in particular rose throughout 2024. 'Many boards described a seemingly unstoppable flow of drugs into prisons.' The IMB – which looks at prisons, young offenders' institutions and immigration detention centres – said overcrowding also caused violence and drug use to spill into immigration removal facilities. This is because of an influx of foreign national offenders being redirected there after the end of their sentence, as part of measures to free up prison places. It cited an example at Brook House immigration removal centre, at Gatwick airport, that drug dealers were believed to have used vulnerable men as guinea pigs to test drugs, with one detainee needing medical help on several occasions. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice's research is the first time a direct link is drawn between increased violence in prisons and the overcrowding crisis. Findings of closed adult prisons in 2022 found inmates in overcrowded cells are 19% more likely to be involved in an assault over a one-year period, compared to those who stay in cells that are not overcrowded. The document added the true figure is likely to lie between 15% and 24%. It was published as ministers announced a £40 million cash boost to improve security on the prison estate, including to crack down on drones and contraband with reinforced windows, netting, CCTV and flood lighting. The investment comes as the National Crime Agency, collaborating with the prison service, National Police Chiefs' Council and regional organised crime units, launched a new initiative to tackle drones smuggling contraband into jails. Two senior police leads will also join the corruption and crime unit within the prison service to boost work such as organised crime behind bars. Responding to the MoJ analysis, prisons minister Lord James Timpson said: 'These stark findings confirm what we've already seen – dangerously full prisons lead to more crime and more violence. 'This not only risks the safety of our hardworking staff but means our prisons are failing one of their most important functions – cutting crime. 'We must end this chaos. Our £40 million new investment will also help combat the flow of contraband which creates unsafe environments in our jails.' Latest figures published in April show the number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade. Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. A total of 30,490 assaults of all kinds were also recorded in prisons last year, the highest number of assaults in a calendar year since 32,539 were recorded in 2018. The Government approved the use of protective body armour for prison staff in high security areas, after four prison officers were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in April. Ministers have also vowed to create 14,000 new prison places by 2031 and have accepted recommendations from the independent sentencing review to curb overcrowding. This includes changes where prisoners could be released earlier for good behaviour or kept in longer if they do not comply with prison rules. Latest figures show the prison population in England and Wales is 87,032, down by 1,489 below the record of 88,521, which was reached on September 6 last year.
Daily Mirror
14-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Prisoners taught bushcraft skills worthy of I'm a Celebrity
Courses in wild skills, bushcraft and survival techniques cover how to make shelters, forage for food, tie knots and use a compass for inmates at HMP Isis in South East London Prisoners are being taught survival skills worthy of the I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, but one key element has been banned. Courses in wild skills, bushcraft and survival techniques cover how to make shelters, forage for food, tie knots and use a compass. But one key component of the bushcraft toolkit is outlawed: knives. The Bear Grylls and Ray Mears-style sessions are held at HMP Isis in South East London, which holds 622 inmates and has been plagued with weapons and gangs. The class would be great preparation for stars going into the Aussie jungle on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, hosted by Ant and Dec. A source said: 'These sessions raised a few eyebrows – we are in Thamesmead, not Tasmania. But anything which helps these men turn their back on crime is a positive.' The course was singled out for praise by a team from an Independent Monitoring Board, which visits prisons to make sure they are being run properly. Its report said: 'Soft skills training for prisoners was part of a number of initiatives and training.' Inmates can sign up for other courses run with a further education college including motorbike repairs, waste management and broadcasting. It comes as prisoners at another jail are bussed out to the coast for sea-fishing exercises, casting lines from the shore. A Prison Service spokesman said: 'These activities are part of a rehabilitation programme, ultimately making our communities safer.'
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Rise in assaults on Holme House prison staff
Assaults on staff at a prison were "considerably higher" in 2024 than the previous year, inspectors have said. The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said staff at HMP Holme House in Stockton were assaulted by prisoners 90 times in 2024, compared to 40 such incidents in said nine of the assaults last year were considered to be "serious". The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been approached for comment. In a report published on Thursday, the IMB said there were 324 incidents of violence among prisoners in 2024 compared to 298 the previous year. 'Substance misuse' Inspectors also found that force was used by staff on prisoners 856 times in 2024, compared to 468 times in 2023 and 268 occurrences in 2022. They also said seven prisoners were each subject to force on more than 10 occasions that year, with force used on one particular prisoner 21 times that IMB also found a number of prisoners "under the influence of illicit substances" on each day of its inspections. "Substance misuse continues to be a significant problem in the prison," the report any one time, almost half of the prison population is being helped by a non-clinical drug recovery programme, the team report revealed that of the 1,350 prisoners released from the site last year, 112 individuals had no arranged accommodation for the night of their release.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Prison's provision for dementia inmates 'poor'
Prison inmates with dementia are being held in normal cells without extra accommodations, inspectors have said. The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said facilities at County Durham's HMP Frankland for elderly frail prisoners, as well as those with dementia, were "quite poor". It also said both staff and prisoners had required hospital checks following exposure to fumes from the drug Spice. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it was "clamping down" on drugs at the prison using detection dogs. In a report published on Tuesday into its monitoring from December 2023 to November 2024, the IMB said there were 21 wheelchair users at the prison, which holds about 800 people, during that time but only 14 adapted cells available. It said the number of older prisoners at the site was growing. "Much of the prison is not designed for an elderly population," the report said. According to latest statistics, as of March 2025 there were 52 people aged 70 and over at the prison. It also held about 261 prisoners aged between 50 and 69 at the site. The inspectors said they considered HMP Frankland to be a "generally safe environment" and that wings often appeared to be "calm and settled". It also noted that the prison had recently initiated a "dementia pathway scheme" to provide extra support to prisoners with the disease. The report comes after the Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi threw hot oil at officers and stabbed them with makeshift weapons at the prison in April. The IMB said drone sightings above the prison had increased and that more postage to the site was testing positive for drugs. The report said the availability of illegal drugs at the prison was a "significant concern". It said about 112 prisoners were on the caseload of the site's drug and alcohol recovery team. The MoJ said it was pleased inspectors had recognised the prison as "generally safe" despite the "challenges" that came with running a high-security prison. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Prison has mould and 'mushrooms' growing on walls Manchester Arena bomber attacks prison officers HMP Frankland Independent Monitoring Board
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'Overcrowded' Durham Prison with rising assaults told to improve
An "overcrowded" prison where violence is on the rise needs to improve, a watchdog has Independent Monitoring Board's (IMB) latest report said HMP Durham had seen assaults on staff and between inmates go up by 52%, with self-harm also Durham chair Dr Therese Quincey said that despite the "negative" findings, the board believed staff were dedicated and "committed" to meeting Ministry of Justice has been contacted for a comment. The IMB is made up of unpaid volunteers, who operate in every prison in England and Wales to make sure inmates are being treated fairly and humanely and receive the support they for their latest report on HMP Durham was gathered between 1 November 2023 and 31 October this time, there were 5,436 new 746 of them did not receive a crucial first night healthcare assessment - which was a "significant risk" to their health, the report IMB also stated assaults on staff and prisoner-on-prisoner assaults had increased by 52% since the previous year and self-harm incidents were up by a third, from 596 last year to 798."The board continues to have the view that the level of overcrowding in HMP Durham contributes to increased levels of self-harm and violence," the report said. 'Unhygienic and undignified' The IMB said it had reported "for several years" on overcrowding at the facility, with prisoners sharing a cell in wings that were built more than 200 years ago for one added there was "no privacy" and some cells had a curtain around the toilet which was "unhygienic and undignified"."The prison is non-compliant with the requirements of HMPPS national standards for the Cleanliness and Physical Decency of Prisons, October 2020, particularly regarding the minimum 'kit' entitlement for clothing, towels and bedding," the IMB kitchen and the prison clergy were praised and the board said it believed prisoners were overall treated "fairly and humanely".It added all prisoners were offered a range of part-time education programmes, with a service helping them get work growing "considerably" over the the board said it was "concerned" that up to one in three prisoners was released Quincey said HMP Durham presented "a number of major challenges" including rising levels of violence, self-harm and drug use. "High levels of prison occupancy, combined with continuous arrivals and departures, compound the challenge," she said. "Even in the light of some negative findings; from the board's observations, we believe that the governor and staff perform their duties with dedication and are committed to reach required standards." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
