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Powys County Times
31-07-2025
- Powys County Times
Highest number of prisons found to be of ‘serious concern'
Nearly one in five adult prisons in England and Wales have had serious concerns raised about their performance, the highest number since the current system of inspections began. Some 22 jails – 18.5% of the total – were given the lowest possible ranking in the year to March, up from 15 in the previous 12 months. A further 37 prisons were assessed as being of concern, up from 35. These are the highest number of jails to be placed in these categories since the present system of ranking was introduced in 2017/18. The statistics, which have been released by the Ministry of Justice, note the rise 'may be a reflection of the pressures facing the prison estate', as ministers continue to grapple with overcrowding, violence and drugs in jails. Prison violence is too high. We're taking decisive action. Tasers will now be deployed to highly trained specialist prison officers for extreme emergencies like hostage situations and riots. More: — Ministry of Justice (@MoJGovUK) July 28, 2025 Overall, 59 prisons were rated as either being of concern or serious concern, making up nearly half (49.6%) of all adult institutions, up from 50 prisons (42.0%) in the previous year. Just 12 prisons were rated outstanding in the latest round of inspections, down from 13 in 2023/24 and the lowest number since the current ratings began. The total for best-performing jails peaked at 19 in 2019/2020. Earlier this month, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor placed HMP Pentonville into special measures over its 'chaotic' conditions. The north London jail was the 10th to be served an urgent notification since November 2022, according to the watchdog. Separate figures published on Thursday show assaults on prison staff in adult prisons in England and Wales have reached another annual record high, with 10,568 in 2024/25. This is up 7% from 9,847 in 2023/24 and a jump of 42% from 7,471 in 2022/23. On Monday, a trial of Tasers in prisons used by specialist officers began as part of efforts to curb the levels of violence against prison officers. It follows high-profile security incidents earlier this year, after four prison officers were allegedly attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in April. Southport killer Axel Rudakubana also allegedly attacked a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh in May by pouring boiling water over them. Last month, the Independent Monitoring Board's annual report on prisons warned violence remained 'excessively high', which was driven by overcrowding, inadequate mental health support and a surge in drug use. Latest figures also show self-harm incidents hit another record level, with 77,898 incidents across all adult prisons in the year to March – a 6% rise from 73,804 the previous year. Some 12,661 men were reported to have self harmed in the 12-month period, the highest number since current records began five years ago. The number of women who self harmed was 1,163, down slightly from 1,199 in the previous 12-month period. Director of charity Inquest, Deborah Coles, said: 'These figures are yet another devastating indictment of the appalling state of the prison system, and the destructive social harms prison regimes generate for people inside.' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This Government inherited a prison system in crisis, and this data shows the pressure they are under as a result. 'We're building 14,000 extra prison places – with 2,400 already delivered. And we are reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again, and prisons get back to creating better citizens, not better criminals.'
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Violence plummets in men's prison - after inmates were taught about ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism
Violence at a jail has plummeted after inmates were given lessons in the ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism. Inmates at HMP Wayland, Norfolk, were taught how to live virtuous, peaceful lives based on resilience, rational thinking and self-discipline. Since the classes were rolled out, physical attacks on staff and other prisoners have reduced drastically – turning Wayland into one of the least-violent prisons in the country. Inspectors from the Independent Monitoring Board praised the 'innovative' effort to help prisoners find their 'inner resilience'. 'Staff [led] a course heavily influenced by the Greek philosophy of Stoicism,' their report said. 'Voluntary courses are well-attended and well-received and, due to demand, are almost continuously scheduled now. 'This sort of effort distances [the prison] from punitive and simply educative approaches and, instead, seeks to increase a prisoner's inner resilience. 'The governor's approach has significantly reduced the level of violence against other prisoners and against staff to one of the lowest amongst comparable prisons in the country.' Stoicism, founded by Zeno of Citium more than 2,300 years ago, centres on four cardinal virtues – prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice – that help followers lead a 'well-lived life'. Stoics believe we should only concern ourselves with things within our control and accept what we cannot control, like other people's behaviour or external events. They argue that emotions like anger or envy are not triggered by actual events but by our interpretations of them, so if we can change our thinking, we can master our emotions. Modern Stoicism often means using daily reflection, journaling, or mindfulness to keep perspective, remain calm under pressure, and make ethical choices. Famous Stoic thinkers have included Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, Roman statesman Seneca the Younger and Greek philosopher Epictetus. One prison worker said the courses at HMP Wayland, a category-C jail with 900 inmates, said the courses were a 'great idea'. 'Prisoners are known to enjoy a bit of philosophy,' he said. 'The philosophy section of the library is among the most popular. 'These courses appear to have helped replace violence with peace and harmony.' A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'Education helps reduce prison violence and encourages offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime.' Prisoners can choose from dozens of educational courses to help them leave their lives of crime behind. The Prisoners' Education Trust currently offers qualifications in 130 subjects including yachting, yoga, beekeeping and feline studies.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Rising violence concerns at ageing HMP Leicester
A high turnover of inmates at an ageing and overcrowded Victorian prison is putting more pressure on staff to make sure it is safe and decent, a watchdog Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reviewed HMP Leicester from February 2024 to January 2025 and found cases of violence in that time rose to 270, compared to 186 in group said there were also long delays in the taking of prisoners suffering from acute mental illness to Ministry of Justice, which runs the Welford Road jail, said £40m was being invested in new security measures this year to cut violence in prisons in England. In July, the IMB - volunteers who monitor standards - said the Category B jail, built in the 19th Century, was no longer fit for their latest report, they said the site "remains under significant pressure" from the large number of men being sent board said population numbers fell in the summer of 2024 but by the end of January the prison was again full. The most prisoners which it can hold without a serious risk to safety is 327, according to watchdog found prison staff were trying to manage the high turnover of prisoners in the ageing IMB said, despite some funding, the condition of cells continued to get worse and broken windows and grills, which were replaced with perspex sheets with holes, allowed drugs to be smuggled in. Dementia concerns The delay in moving prisoners with acute mental illness to hospital was due to a shortage of available beds, with one inmate waiting 175 days until a suitable place was found, they IMB advised there should be sufficient places in secure mental health facilities for prisoners who needed prison "was not a suitable place" for prisoners with severe dementia, the board said, adding it did not meet their needs and put the inmate and staff at board found a third of men released from the prison had no accommodation to go to and were more likely to Worsfold, Leicester IMB chair, said: "In the board's view, the prison is well-led but the high turnover of men and ageing buildings make prison staff's already challenging task much harder."The watchdog did say the prison was developing strong relationships with local employers to prepare inmates for work after they were released.A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said their £40m investment in better security was aimed at reducing violence in prisons."This includes £10m on anti-drone measures such as exterior netting and reinforced windows," they added.
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Violence ‘excessively high' in prisons driven by overcrowding and drugs
Violence remained 'excessively high' across the prison estate last year driven by overcrowding, inadequate mental health support and a surge in drug use, an independent watchdog has warned. An annual report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), made up of volunteers tasked by ministers with scrutinising conditions in custody, revealed how the issues created volatile environments while the physical setting 'remained appalling' in 2024. The body reported poor conditions were becoming normalised after years of inaction and that staff have become desensitised to seeing people in acute distress. It comes as the Ministry of Justice published analysis on Thursday that prisoners kept in overcrowded jail cells in England and Wales are nearly 20% more likely to be involved in assaults. Of the concerns over violence, the IMB report said: 'This was often attributed to debt, which was inextricably linked to the drugs crisis. 'Population pressures also made it difficult to defuse volatile environments, as it was difficult to separate prisoners in conflict. 'Drugs and illicit items were IMBs' most common safety concern and boards' concerns about drugs in particular rose throughout 2024. 'Many boards described a seemingly unstoppable flow of drugs into prisons.' The IMB – which looks at prisons, young offenders' institutions and immigration detention centres – said overcrowding also caused violence and drug use to spill into immigration removal facilities. This is because of an influx of foreign national offenders being redirected there after the end of their sentence, as part of measures to free up prison places. It cited an example at Brook House immigration removal centre, at Gatwick airport, that drug dealers were believed to have used vulnerable men as guinea pigs to test drugs, with one detainee needing medical help on several occasions. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice's research is the first time a direct link is drawn between increased violence in prisons and the overcrowding crisis. Findings of closed adult prisons in 2022 found inmates in overcrowded cells are 19% more likely to be involved in an assault over a one-year period, compared to those who stay in cells that are not overcrowded. The document added the true figure is likely to lie between 15% and 24%. It was published as ministers announced a £40 million cash boost to improve security on the prison estate, including to crack down on drones and contraband with reinforced windows, netting, CCTV and flood lighting. The investment comes as the National Crime Agency, collaborating with the prison service, National Police Chiefs' Council and regional organised crime units, launched a new initiative to tackle drones smuggling contraband into jails. Two senior police leads will also join the corruption and crime unit within the prison service to boost work such as organised crime behind bars. Responding to the MoJ analysis, prisons minister Lord James Timpson said: 'These stark findings confirm what we've already seen – dangerously full prisons lead to more crime and more violence. 'This not only risks the safety of our hardworking staff but means our prisons are failing one of their most important functions – cutting crime. 'We must end this chaos. Our £40 million new investment will also help combat the flow of contraband which creates unsafe environments in our jails.' Latest figures published in April show the number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade. Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. A total of 30,490 assaults of all kinds were also recorded in prisons last year, the highest number of assaults in a calendar year since 32,539 were recorded in 2018. The Government approved the use of protective body armour for prison staff in high security areas, after four prison officers were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in April. Ministers have also vowed to create 14,000 new prison places by 2031 and have accepted recommendations from the independent sentencing review to curb overcrowding. This includes changes where prisoners could be released earlier for good behaviour or kept in longer if they do not comply with prison rules. Latest figures show the prison population in England and Wales is 87,032, down by 1,489 below the record of 88,521, which was reached on September 6 last year.
Daily Mirror
14-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Prisoners taught bushcraft skills worthy of I'm a Celebrity
Courses in wild skills, bushcraft and survival techniques cover how to make shelters, forage for food, tie knots and use a compass for inmates at HMP Isis in South East London Prisoners are being taught survival skills worthy of the I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, but one key element has been banned. Courses in wild skills, bushcraft and survival techniques cover how to make shelters, forage for food, tie knots and use a compass. But one key component of the bushcraft toolkit is outlawed: knives. The Bear Grylls and Ray Mears-style sessions are held at HMP Isis in South East London, which holds 622 inmates and has been plagued with weapons and gangs. The class would be great preparation for stars going into the Aussie jungle on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, hosted by Ant and Dec. A source said: 'These sessions raised a few eyebrows – we are in Thamesmead, not Tasmania. But anything which helps these men turn their back on crime is a positive.' The course was singled out for praise by a team from an Independent Monitoring Board, which visits prisons to make sure they are being run properly. Its report said: 'Soft skills training for prisoners was part of a number of initiatives and training.' Inmates can sign up for other courses run with a further education college including motorbike repairs, waste management and broadcasting. It comes as prisoners at another jail are bussed out to the coast for sea-fishing exercises, casting lines from the shore. A Prison Service spokesman said: 'These activities are part of a rehabilitation programme, ultimately making our communities safer.'
