Prisons chief ‘extremely concerned’ as poor staffing levels at jails force inmates into pandemic-style lockdowns
- Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said inmates are being ‘warehoused’
- He expressed his concerns over high staff turnover and low morale to MPs
- Conditions are impacting inmates and their mental health, Mr Taylor has said
The head of the prisons watchdog said he is ‘extremely concerned’ by staffing levels at jails in England and Wales, with some forced into pandemic-style lockdowns as a result.
Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, told MPs inmates were effectively being ‘warehoused’ with very little time out of their cells, meaning they were ill-equipped for civilian life upon release.
Mr Taylor expressed particular fears about inexperienced staff, low morale and the high turnover of workers on the prison estate.
And he said the pressures had a knock-on impact on inmates, who often ended up having library visits and gym classes cancelled due to workforce shortages, as well as mental health issues.
He likened conditions to during the Covid pandemic, when inmates were regularly contained for extended periods in the cells in a bid to avoid the virus spreading.
Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, told MPs inmates were effectively being ‘warehoused’ with very little time out of their cells
He told the Commons Justice Committee today: ‘In some prisons we visit, you would think the pandemic was in full swing and that for whatever reason things just haven’t got close to being back to normal.
‘Prisons have a duty to protect the public, but that extends to what happens to prisoners when they come out.
‘If prisoners are simply being locked away – warehoused – without any chance to get involved in rehabilitative work or purposeful activity, then the risk to the public when they come out has to continue.’
He said prisons are ‘really struggling to maintain a reasonable contingent of staff’.
He said: ‘We are often assured that… the prison will have a full complement of staff, but I think simply filling the bucket isn’t enough, you have to fill it with the right people and also ensure the bucket doesn’t have a leak.’
Latest government figures show there were nearly 60,000 full-time equivalent staff in the Prison and Probation Service’s workforce as of December last year, up by almost 1,700 in the previous 12 months.
But there are currently in excess of 84,000 people in prison in England and Wales, more than 7,000 above the number that should be held, according to campaign group the Howard League for Penal Reform. The prison population is forecast to reach 100,000 within five years.
But Mr Taylor said: ‘We’re extremely concerned by the current state of play for the operational workforce, but I think also for the non-operational workforce as well.’
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