With national restrictions in place, prisons have introduced
tougher measures to curb the spread of the new variant of the
virus, help save lives and protect the NHS. These include:
- Routinely testing all staff as well as new prisoners so
we can better protect prisoners and those work in our
prisons, as well as isolate those who test positive before
they show symptoms
- The roll-out of the vaccine, starting with the most
vulnerable according to the priority list set out by the
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and in
line with the national roll-out for the wider population
This is in addition to the stringent safety measures already
in place to drive down Covid in prisons, save lives and
protect local NHS from being overwhelmed, which Public Health
England endorsed as being effective in limiting the spread of
the virus, and which has meant the number of Covid-related
deaths is significantly lower than predicted at the start of
the pandemic.
This includes:
- Making more Personal Protective Equipment available to
staff who come into close contact with offenders, so they can
protect themselves and the offenders in their care
- Creating an additional 1,200 temporary cells and putting
in place an effective system in all prisons and youth custody
establishments to limit the spread of the disease so people
are better able to social distance and we can limit
transmission of the virus
- Temporarily stopping social visits for adult prisoners in
England and Wales in line with national restrictions.
However, visits for compassionate reasons, visits to children
in custody and legal visits which can’t take place remotely
will continue
Prisoners will still be able to see friends and family via
secure video calls, with this technology now in place in all
jails. Staff are also helping offenders to keep in touch
through phone calls, with more than 1,500 mobile handsets and
extra phone credit, while specialist support is now available
for those with mental health issues.
Specially trained staff have been going cell to cell to
intensively support those with mental health issues, and
officers have spent longer than ever simply speaking to
prisoners – listening to their problems and anxieties.
Staff also continue to support prisoners with vital
rehabilitation work, such as access to in-cell education and
exercise, as they have throughout the pandemic. Education for
children in custody will also continue.
Prisons Minister, , said:
We continue to take decisive action which is limiting the
spread of the virus in our prisons. But the crucial factor
is the tireless efforts of our dedicated officers working
closely on the ground with outstanding NHS staff and public
health experts.
I am proud of the staff, who are keeping prisoners safe and
doing their best to keep them occupied with their
innovative ideas.
Impressive work includes Covid cleaning teams at HMP Full
Sutton which are keeping vulnerable offenders occupied and
shared spaces safe.
At HMP Isis, in-cell workouts are keeping prisoners fit and
at HMP Send a ‘Jail Mail’ scheme is allowing women to stay
in touch with friends on different wings.
Just as the whole government is taking action to control
the rapid spread of the virus in the wider population, we
will double down on our efforts in jails, helped by the
national roll-out of the vaccine.
As always, my priority remains to limit the spread of the
virus to save lives and prevent the NHS from being
overwhelmed.
