Insanitary and degrading prison cells ‘putting Government reforms at risk’
2 min read
Too many prisoners in England and Wales are locked in cells that are insanitary and degrading, a damning new report has said.
The report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons contained evidence of inmates eating within feet of toilets or using them as dining chairs, and cleaning their cell floors with water and used t-shirts.
The dire conditions of overcrowded jail cells are putting inmates’ health at risk and could be driving them to drug abuse, the chief inspector Peter Clarke said.
In the report which contained an array of disturbing images, Mr Clarke said the picture in many local and training jails was bleak, and questioned whether the situation was acceptable in 2017.
He said: “All too often, prisoners are held in conditions that fall short of what most members of the public would consider as reasonable or decent.”
And he warned that the Government’s hopes for prison reform would be dead in the water if prisoners were “confined in conditions that embitter and demoralise”.
The report quotes one prisoner as saying: “‘I feel no one should be forced to eat their food a couple of feet away from their toilet. Some sit on their toilet as a seat to eat. This is degrading and totally unhygienic.
In local prisons, 31% of prisoners reported being locked in their cells for at least 22 hours a day, while the latest figures showed a quarter overall live in overcrowded conditions.
Elsewhere, the president of the Prison Governors Association will warn today that prisons in England and Wales are "full to bursting" and the number of inmates should be cut.
Addressing the association's annual conference, Andrea Albutt will say ministers shouldn’t "worry about votes", but cut the prison population by releasing inmates serving terms of less than 12 months.
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