HM Inspectorate of Prisons reports that cramped and dirty Lincoln Prison has rising prisoner numbers, falling staff levels, and one prisoner still inside nine yearsafter the end of his sentence. More than half of vulnerable prisoners said that they had been victimised by other prisoners and nearly half said that they had been victimised by staff. And the government wants to keep on cutting costs.
Today, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate
of Prisons published one of its most damning reports in years following an
unannounced inspection of Lincoln Prison.
After reading the report it would be impossible to conclude that Lincoln is
anything but a failing institution. Violence, bullying, complaints and drug use
are all significantly higher than in comparable prisons. An extremely high
number of prisoners spend time in the segregation unit, often referring
themselves voluntarily due to safety fears despite the fact conditions are poor
“with a lack of natural light, dirty cells, a grim special cell and a dirty
exercise yard”.
The likelihood of a stint in Lincoln having any rehabilitative effects appears
slight. Inspectors noted that almost half of prisoners have no access to work
or education programmes and found clear evidence that prisoners were developing
drug problems following their arrival at Lincoln, rather than receiving
treatment for existing addictions.
The lack of effective management and planning was stark. The prison had no
strategy for equal treatment of inmates, even though it had itself collected
data suggesting a much higher use of segregation for black and minority ethnic
prisoners. The additional needs of elderly and disabled prisoners were largely
ignored. Foreign national prisoners had little access to translated materials,
and communication with immigration authorities was particularly poor. One
foreign prisoner has spent an appalling nine years in prison beyond the end of
his sentence awaiting a decision on whether he is to be deported.
This report, whilst shocking, is not surprising. Lincoln is a Victorian prison
housing over 50 per cent more prisoners than it was designed to accommodate. It
has seen a 20 per cent fall in staff numbers over the last three years.
Under these conditions, it is inevitable that a prison will become less
safe.
The National Offender Management
Service has responded to this report pledging to take urgent action, and
has already removed the governor from his post. This will hopefully lead to
improvements, however changing staff and implementing new procedures can only
go so far in an overcrowded and underfunded institution.
As Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons said in October, the government
faces a clear choice: increase prison budgets or cut the prison population. Justice
Minister Chris Grayling has rejected this and instead proposed a third option
of cutting the cost of each prison place. Let’s hope he reads the Lincoln
report and reconsiders his position.