Amber Rudd to lead major review into safety and security of prisons

• Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd to lead prison review to tackle drugs, violence and criminal gangs
• Review marks next phase of prison reform to fix prison crisis to keep the public safe
• Latest figures show prisons improving as number of assaults and self-harm incidents fall

Violence, Illicit drugs and organised crime in prisons will be rooted out,as former Home Secretary Amber Rudd leads a review into how to make prisons safer, more secure and better at cutting crime.

After inheriting aprison system days from collapse, the governmenttook immediate action topull our prisons back from operating in constant crisis. Recent figures show early signs of progress with rates of staff assaults, self-harm and self-inflicted deaths all falling, while inspections published over the last 12 months show improvements across a number of prisons.

Ministers are now turning to the long-term challenges facing prisons, including violence, corruption, staffing, prison capacity and the condition of the estate, ordering areview led by former Home Secretary Amber Rudd to look at the deep-rooted security and safety challenges that continue to blight jailsdespite the government stabilising the crisis.

The review will look athow emerging threats from drones to cyber risks are evolving, and what action is needed to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics.It will also examine how prisons can strengthen rehabilitation, improve staffing and leadership, and ensure the estate is fit for the future, alongside preventing violence, reducing self-harm and improving day-to-day conditions.

The review will report back by December and builds on significant Government action over the last two years to stabilise the prison system and make streets safer. As well as falls in assaults against staff and self-harm, there have also been hundreds of arrests linked to smuggling illicit items into prisons.

Inspection reports published over the last 12 months have also shown improvements across a number of prisons. Of the 21 His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons reports published this year, 14 (two thirds) recorded improved Healthy Prison Test scores compared with their previous inspection.

While these figures show encouraging signs of progress, violence, assaults on staff and self-harm remain too high, underlining the need for long-term reform.

Deputy Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor David Lammy said:

"We inherited a prison system in crisis, with overcrowded jails rife with violence, drugs and organised crime. Thanks to the dedication of prison staff and the action we have taken, the system is now on a more stable footing.  

"But recovery is only the first step, not the final word. This independent review will help us tackle the deep-rooted problems facing our prisons and set out a long-term plan to build a safer, more resilient system that cuts crime, reduces reoffending and delivers punishment that works."

Chair of the Independent Review into Prisons, Amber Rudd said:

Prisons are fundamental to public safety. As Home Secretary, I saw the damage that terrorism, serious violence, and organised crime can cause to communities, and the importance of ensuring prisons do not become places where criminal behaviour is reinforced.  

This review will examine how we improve the security and safety of prisons, better protect staff, and strengthen the system's ability to reduce reoffending and keep the public safe.   

I look forward to working independently across government and with frontline staff to identify practical reforms that make prisons safer, more resilient and fit for the future.

Clinks CEO, Dr Summer Alston-Smith, said:

The Sentencing Act was a welcome first step in addressing several of the immediate challenges that have been impacting the justice system. We are therefore pleased that this review goes further and builds on the Act by taking a long-term view as to how to ensure a more sustainable and effective prison system.

The role of the voluntary sector in supporting such a system, one focused on rehabilitation, cannot be overstated. There is a wealth of evidence to draw on, which the voluntary sector has contributed to significantly over many years, and we look forward to championing the role of the sector in engagement with the review's work.

The review will look to build on efforts already been made to keep prisons safer, with 40 million already invested to bolster prison security, alongside a further £35 million announced this month to installheavydutysteel grilles on up to 13,000 prison cell windows to stop drones smuggling contraband into jails.

This is on top of government actionto build 14,000 extraprison placesby 2031, with 3,100 already opened up after just 500 net places were added in the 14 years before, and investing an extra £700 million into the probation system.

ENDS

Notes to editor

• As Home Secretary, Ms Rudd led the Government's response to terrorism, serious violence and organised crime, and worked closely with the Ministry of Justice following the Acheson Review to strengthen prison security and tackle the threat of extremism in custody, including through the introduction of specialist separation units for the most dangerous offenders.