25 July 2024 , 18:11
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Concerns have been raised about the performance of dozens of prisons in England and Wales as there has been a large increase in the number of weapons, drugs and phones seized
Four in 10 prisons have been given a bad rating as there has been a big increase in the number of weapons, drugs and phones found on inmates.
Figures published yesterday showed the performance of 35 out of 119 jails in England and Wales was of “concern” with a further 15 of “serious concern”. It comes as the government is being forced to release thousands of offenders early because of the overcrowding crisis.
In the 12 months to March, drugs were found on 21,145 occasions, up 44% on the previous year; mobile phones found 10,669 times, up 36%; and weapons found 11,641 times, up 24%.
Self-harm rates have hit their highest level since records began, with 73,804 incidents taking place in the last year – a rate of one prisoner hurting themselves every seven minutes.
The number of prisoners in over-crowded conditions has increased for the third consecutive year, reaching a high of 23.6%.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "These statistics reveal what is really happening inside jails today, and why we had no choice but to act. This Government will always protect the public, lock up dangerous offenders, and make prisons safe for prisoners and the brave staff who work there."
She admitted further emergency measures could be introduced to respond to the prison capacity "crisis", after MPs approved moves to release prisoners early. She said the prison population remains "within a few hundred places of collapse" and that housing offenders in police cells or triggering a measure to delay some court hearings are options available to her. "Our prisons are in crisis, leading to endemic violence and harm behind bars,” she added.
All prisons are given one of four ratings - outstanding, good, of concern and of serious concern. Just 13 were designated outstanding. Six fewer were rated good this year compared to last year, with the number rated of serious concern up six.
Nine prisoners escaped from jail in the 12 months to March 2024, one of whom remained still at large 30 days after escape. This is an increase from 8 escapes the previous year.
Of the 79,000 offenders who were either released from custody, received a non-custodial sentence or given a warning in July to September 2022, around 21,000 went on to reoffend within a year.
Ms Mahmood earlier this month said the new Labour Government had been left with no choice but to free prisoners early from jail. She announced plans to release prisoners serving less than four years after as little as 40% of their sentence. She said she was forced to trigger the emergency measure “to avert a disaster” as she hit out at the Tory Government for failing to get a grip on overcrowding in prisons across England and Wales.