The House of Commons Justice Committee today welcomes Government
moves to help prison governors take more control over how their
prisons are run.
But, with prisons currently full to near overflow, concerns
remain about how far governors can make their prisons safer and
more secure without enough money for simple maintenance and
falling numbers of prison officers and other staff.
Prisons in England and Wales are currently at 98% capacity with
more than 83,000 people in jail. The Government's planned 13,500
new places are not due to be fully available until 2023.
Rates of self-harm and suicide among prisoners have risen
steadily in recent years. The Government has recruited over 4,500
new prison officers, but latest statistics show that more are
leaving the service than are joining, stretching prison staffing.
New Government policies on longer sentences and greater police
recruitment are likely to put more pressure on the system, said
Justice Committee Chair Sir MP, as his Committee published a
Ministry of Justice response to its 2019 Report on Prison
Governance.
"There is much to welcome in the Government's shift to enable
local governors to run their prisons locally,"said Sir Bob, "but
in practice there can be little point giving a governor the power
to shift money around if the money simply isn't there."
The Government has pledged £156m this year to begin reducing a
£900m backlog in prison maintenance - including fire safety
systems, boilers, electrical systems and refurbishment of cells,
showers and cooking and eating areas.
"The Government themselves accept that this will deal with "some"
of the problems raised by this growing backlog of repairs,: said
Sir Bob. "With many prisons more than 100 years old and
containing as many people as it is possible for them to hold in
cells, we'd hope the Treasury will see the need for larger and
more urgent action to put prison buildings into a basic state of
repair."
Among measures contained in the Government's response to the
Committee's report:
- A commitment to install x-ray scanners in 27 prisons,
including in some of the most challenging such as Durham,
Winchester and Pentonville.
- Putting the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman on a proper
statutory footing - which, the committee said, should make it
easier for legitimate complaints to be heard;
- Improving governors' ability to provide local education and
healthcare services within their prisons; and
- Spending £2.5bn on new prison places at Full Sutton,
Wellingborough and Glen Parva.
