1 August 2014

Official figures reveal rising violence in prisons in England and Wales

News and events

A rising tide of violence inside prisons across England and Wales has been revealed by official figures showing serious assaults soaring by 30%, three murders in the past 12 months and a 69% rise in suicides to the highest level for nine years.

According to Ministry of Justice figures, the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons rose by 36 to 88 in the 12 months to the end of March – the highest level since 2005.

Prison governors have repeatedly warned that jails have been struggling to cope with a record population of more than 85,000 in increasingly crowded conditions while implementing budget cuts of up to 24% over the past three years.

The latest performance tables show that conditions inside 28 jails are now rated as being of official concern, with one – Brinsford youth jail at Featherstone in Staffordshire – rated as being of “serious concern”. This compares with only 12 jails being rated as being of concern last year, and a further three with the worst “serious concern” rating.

The prison ratings contrast sharply with those for the performance of the 35 probation trusts across England and Wales, which were all rated “good or exceptional” in their last year of operation. They were abolished last month and 70% of their workload is to transfer to community rehabilitation companies.

The detailed figures show that serious assaults inside jails have risen by 30% from 1,277 to 1,661, and all assaults on staff rose 15%, from 2,787 to 3,201. There were three homicides behind bars in the 12 months to March compared with two the year before.

The increasingly violent atmosphere has been accompanied by a reduction in the number of prisoners completing programmes to tackle their criminality. The number of sex offender treatment programmes were down from 2,757 to 2,576 despite a sharp rise of more than 700 in the number of sex offenders imprisoned. Similarly, the number of prisoners completing drug rehabilitation courses was also slightly down.

Political parties have said the increase in deaths in custody is being taken very seriously. The T2A recently submitted evidence to the Harris Review into deaths of young adults in NOMS custody. You can read the T2A response here.

(This news item was originally posted on the Guardian on 31/07/14. The article is available here)

30 July 2014

The Howard League for Penal Reform’s submission to the Independent Review into Self-Inflicted Deaths in NOMS Custody of 18-24 year olds

News and events

The Howard League for Penal Reform welcomes the opportunity to engage in Lord Harris’ review. The review is a unique opportunity for expert scrutiny of systemic failings in the penal system that have culminated in the tragic deaths of so many young adults in custody.

This inquiry is the only opportunity to examine the wider context surrounding young adults in prison. Inquests and inquiries have hitherto only considered their treatment in prison that immediately led to death but no one has asked the critical question about whether they should have been in prison in the first place. From the inquest and inquiry into the murder of Zahid Mubarek to the death of Greg Revell a couple of weeks ago, the question about the remand and sentencing decisions and practices of the courts need to be questioned as a contributory factor that led directly murder and suicide. Far too many young men are remanded and sentenced to prison unnecessarily and unless an independent inquiry looks at the route into custody as well as the treatment whilst inside, the problem will not be solved and lives will continue to be lost.

The Howard League for Penal Reform believes that there are too many young adults in prison who should not be there at all. The crime rate continues to fall. While the child custody population has fallen by two-thirds since 2008, there has only been a minimal fall in the number of young adults in prison. It is critical that we build on the successes for children across the system by ensuring that a different approach is taken for young adults from the first point of contact with the police to sentencing.

Summary of submission

Many young adults face avoidable problems in prison that may increase the likelihood of suicide. Despite claims from the Ministry of Justice as to the need for prisoners to make use of their time, most young adults are cooped up for excessive periods of time each day with nothing to do. The inadequate provision of meaningful or, indeed, any activity at all for this group is exacerbated by the hopelessness caused by the new incentives and privileges regime. The scheme, introduced in November 2013, makes it impossible for most prisoners to be rewarded for good behaviour or motivation. Others are paralysed by violence, racism, homophobia and insufficient interventions to meet their needs or allow them to progress in prison.

The Howard League for Penal Reform has identified a number of warning signs that we believe should trigger anxious scrutiny of a young person’s well being. When young people with mental health problems, learning difficulties, histories of abuse and victimization are sent to prison the authorities should not use segregation but should make sure that young people benefit from monitoring and support for their own safety. The caseload of our legal team shows that too many vulnerable teenagers are subjected to adjudications and physical interventions in prison. When the state takes a young person into its care, it must adhere to the highest standards to protect and safeguard them and to enable them to flourish.

Finally, we believe that even where young people’s needs and concerns are known, the current system is inadequate. Disciplinary processes are used inappropriately to deal with issues of profound concern. Measures to monitor risk of self-harm are not sensitive or tailored to the needs of individuals and are not meaningful. Safeguarding procedures for young adults are virtually non-existent.

You can read the full submission here

30 July 2014

Prison Reform Trust response to young adults, self-inflicted deaths in NOMS custody

News and events

The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) is an independent UK charity working to create a just, humane and
effective prison system. We do this by inquiring into the workings of the system; informing
prisoners, staff and the wider public; and by influencing Parliament, government and officials
towards reform.

The Prison Reform Trust’s main objectives are:

• Reducing unnecessary imprisonment and promoting community solutions to crime
• Improving treatment and conditions for prisoners and their families

PRT welcomes the opportunity to submit evidence to this review and have chosen to respond only to those questions on which we have some expertise but also submit our response to the Ministry of Justice consultation Transforming management of young adults of custody as supplementary evidence to the Review team. As a member of the Transition to Adulthood Alliance (T2A) convened by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, the Prison Reform Trust is pleased to support T2As submission to this Review.

Overarching comments

Whilst PRT appreciate that the remit of this Review has been set externally, PRT wish to
reiterate that the exclusion of children from its parameters presents a missed opportunity,
not least because many of the young people aged 18-24 who have died in prison will spend
time in custody as children. PRT urge the Review team to ensure that the impact of transition
from youth to adult custodial estate is considered as part of it work.

PRT strongly recommend that the ambit of the Review is sufficiently wide to consider the
journey into custody taken by children and young people who have died. A focus on prison
alone will result in only a partial understanding of what happened to them and what needs to
change. As Fatally flawed’s analysis of the deaths of 98 children and young people who died
between 2003 and 2010 showed, they were some of the most disadvantaged in society and
had had significant interaction with public services and community agencies before their entry
to prison.

It is in everyone’s interests to learn the lessons from the deaths of children and young people in prison and prevent such tragedies wherever possible in the future

You can read the full PRT response here

5 February 2014

Government announces review of self-inflicted deaths of 18-24 year olds in custody

News and events

The Government has announced today that it is setting up an independent review to investigate self-inflicted deaths in custody of young people aged 18-24.  The announcement means that the proposal to scrap YOIs (see T2A’s December 2013 response to MoJ consultation) has been suspended pending the outcome of the review.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the Government was committed to the safety of offenders and to reducing the number of people dying in custody and that lessons learned from the review would benefit all age groups.  In the past 10 years, 163 children and young people under the age of 24 have died in prison.

The review will be led by the Labour peer Lord Harris of Haringey, who is chairman of the Independent Advisory Council on Deaths in Custody.

Leading charities and NGOs, including Barrow Cadbury Trust, had joined the call for an independent review in a letter published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper yesterday. The Government had been considering whether to hold an independent review since Inquest and the Prison Reform Trust published Fatally Flawed: has the state learned lessons from the deaths of children and young people in prison, which examined the experiences of children and young people who died in prison between 2003 and 2010.