Isle of Man Prison being 'tested' by capacity issues
Every aspect of the Isle of Man Prison is being "tested" due to capacity issues, a Home Affairs boss has told a committee.A Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Justice Committee heard that the Isle of Man Prison in Jurby had 160 prisoners, as of Monday, out of a total capacity of 167. Chief Executive of the Department of Home Affairs Dan Davies said the number of prisoners had "continued to increase" since April 2023.He said the department had been looking at alternatives such as tagging instead of custodial sentences for some offenders and building an extra wing at the Jurby facility.
While the official capacity of the prison was 141 that had increased to 143 after two isolation cells had become normal cells. The facility had also been using 24 extra cells housed in portable cabins, which had previously been described as a temporary solution.
'Remarkable job'
There were currently 66 prisoners serving long-term sentences, which means those longer than four years, he told the committee.Mr Davies said the prison's staff were doing a "remarkable job" and cooperation from prisoners had also been "really important".He said work was under way to look at alternatives to custody, options to expand prison capacity, but also what happens when prisoners leave the facility. Released prisoners need secure accommodation but the bail hostel was currently full, he said. Mr Davies said if prisoners go back into the community but do not have secure accommodation, employment or a stable family environment, there was a risk of reoffending.Minister for Justice and Home Affairs,Jane Poole-Wilson, said the department was "closely monitoring" the trends of offending and the types of sentences. She noted that there were more sexual offences being prosecuted since the introduction of the Sexual Offences and Obscene Publications Act 2021, which came into force in March last year.
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