The atrocious state of English and Welsh prisons is well documented. In the past six months, inspectors have issued urgent notifications about conditions in three jails. Earlier this year, a German court rejected an extradition request by the UK government on the grounds that the suspect’s safety could not be guaranteed. The view of Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector, is that 14 Victorian prisons are so decrepit that they should be closed down.
The outcry following the recent escape by Daniel Khalife from HMP Wandsworth drew attention to staffing issues. That day, 80 prison officers – 40% of the total – were absent. Now, a Guardian investigation has revealed that prison officers are quitting to work for the police or Border Force instead – a particular problem for prisons near ports or airports – while the Prison Officers’ Association believes criminal gangs are sending members to work in prisons in order to smuggle drugs and phones. Staffing levels in jails including Feltham are so low that psychologists have had to talk to young offenders through cell doors, instead of in therapy rooms. One prison officer described violence there as “off the scale”.
The crisis is so acute as to be undeniable. But the government’s response, of pointing to the planned expansion of prison capacity and staff numbers, is not persuasive. Boosting the numbers of recruits – as the Ministry of Justice aims to with a new campaign – will not solve the underlying problem unless retention rates also improve. Last year, almost half of those who left prison officer roles had been in them for fewer than three years. Nor will new buildings with more cells provide a solution. While the oldest prisons are dilapidated, modern prisons at Woodhill and Whitemoor, which are not overcrowded, are among those that have recently failed inspections.
Like most rightwing parties, the Conservatives value toughness on law and order. In the past decade, longer sentences have been handed down by judges, while court delays caused by years of cuts, followed by the pandemic, have led to a huge increase in the number of prisoners on remand. Currently they are 15,500 of a total prison population of 87,685 – which is not far off the all-time record of 88,000, and predicted to rise sharply in the next two years.
It might seem counterintuitive to make it harder to become a prison officer with the situation as it is. But the current training, of between seven and 10 weeks, is one of the shortest courses in Europe and a national embarrassment. The Prison Officers’ Association is right to call for the current lower age limit of 18 to be raised, and for in-person interviews to be reinstated. Quantity is no substitute for quality.
Conservative ministers have been responsible for some terrible decisions, notably Chris Grayling’s failed privatisation of the probation service. But the current problems cannot be blamed on an individual. The system as a whole has been badly managed, and its leaders should face increased scrutiny. Parliament’s justice committee has a role to play here. Its report on the prisons workforce is expected shortly. Endemic violence should be investigated separately.
A policy of locking more people up for longer, without any clear strategy for rehabilitation, may satisfy short-term political goals. In the longer term, it is more likely to increase crime than reduce it. Such failures deserve to be judged harshly.
