Nearly half of inmates at notoriously lax open prison returned to secure jails after they made others feel unsafe
- West Sussex Category D facility has had 86 escapes in the last seven years
A notoriously lax open prison was found to be flooded with ‘unsuitable’ convicts.
Nearly half of prisoners at HMP Ford had to be sent back to secure jails after they made inmates feel unsafe.
The West Sussex Category D facility has had 86 escapes in the last seven years, the third highest in the UK.
Attention has been drawn to the prison over the years.
In 2015, it was revealed that 39 criminals were on the run from a notorious open prison. Among their number were two murderers, as well as drug dealers and fraudsters.
Nearly half of prisoners at HMP Ford (pictured) had to be sent back to secure jails after they made inmates feel unsafe
The West Sussex Category D facility has had 86 escapes in the last seven years, the third highest in the UK. File image
Some had been awol from Ford Open Prison for as long as 10 years.
Two years earlier prisoners were sent letters politely informing them not to take drugs and asking why inmates want to escape.
Bosses at Ford Open prison admitted in a letter there had been an ‘increase’ of Class A drugs and reminded them of the ‘risks’ of taking them.
Local MP Nick Gibb said officials need to be tougher on drug use inside the prison and said residents expect a ‘zero tolerance’ approach.
An Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) report found 167 prisoners were returned to ‘closed conditions’ in the prison grounds in ten months to October 31 last year.
It noted this ‘seems a large number in the context of an operational capacity of 389’. The IMB referred the Mail to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).
The MOJ pointed to a framework of ways for inmates to be recategorised. The Parole Board said it has an advisory role in inmates being sent to open prisons.
Ex-chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal said: ‘It really tells you how bad it has got if nobody is able to identify who is responsible.’
The IMB declined to comment.
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