The physical condition of custody suites in
criminal courts and immigration and asylum tribunals in north and
west London was “overwhelmingly poor”, according to an
inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
In a report on a set of unannounced
inspection visits, published today, Peter Clarke, HM Chief
Inspector of Prisons, said that despite the conditions, staff
were trying to improve the treatment of people detained in court
and tribunal cells.
Inspectors found “found reasonable and
improving working relationships” between the key organisations
delivering court and tribunal custody in eight Crown and
Magistrates courts, and two Immigration and Asylum Chambers
(tribunal centres).
“Senior managers described a willingness to
improve the treatment and conditions of
detainees…Staff mostly dealt patiently and professionally
with detainees. HMCTS had an appropriate focus on utilising video
link hearings for eligible cases, which reduced the effects that
the upheaval of journeys to court could have.”
Unfortunately, Mr Clarke added, there were
few other positive features in what he described as a
“disappointing” inspection.
Inspectors found that numerous cells were
out of use because of defects including broken lighting and
faulty cell call bells. Serco staff ‘escalated’ problems to
HMCTS. “However,” the report noted, “we were advised
and saw that staff had become desensitised to low standards and
that escalation processes were not always followed. The
environment across the court custody estate was overwhelmingly
poor.”
Delays in resolving these problems were
causing frustration among staff and, in some cases, affecting the
safety of the custody environment. Reduced cell capacity delayed
the transfer of some detainees from police custody suites and
meant more detainees shared cells, potentially increasing
risks.
As with previous inspections, the court
custody estate continued to suffer from a lack of investment. The
report said: “During the inspection, we were advised that
staffing was often running significantly short. We saw staff in
some courts struggle to conduct even routine tasks, such as
initial risk assessments and cell-sharing risk
assessments.”
Inspectors also found:
-
Too many detainees stayed in court
custody for too long.
-
Release arrangements did not adequately
focus on ensuring detainees always got home
safely.
-
Handcuffs were applied to detainees
routinely even in secure and controlled custody areas without
an individual risk assessment, which was
disproportionate.
-
Arrangements for detainees held in the
custody suites for tribunals in Immigration and Asylum Centres
at Hatton Cross and Harmondsworth “were not good enough.” There
were no formal arrangements to ensure that detainees were
released safely from Hatton Cross, though Harmondsworth was
better.
Mr Clarke said:
“Overall, this was a disappointing
inspection. This report provides a number of recommendations for
improvement that in particular address issues such as the
deployment of staffing resource, the management of risk, the
length of time detainees are held, and improvements to the
conditions in which people are held.”
