Prisons Under Austerity

26/05/2023

"It found that in the previous six months, about a third of its inmates had self-harmed, 86 per cent said they were experiencing mental ill health and there had been two self-inflicted deaths since 2019. The inspectorate said the prison was “failing in its most basic duty — to keep the women safe”.

In a speech at the Old Bailey last week, Sir John Major mentioned the oft-repeated phrase “prison works” — and then explained the various ways in which it does

19/05/2023

The UK government’s 2012 Benchmarking Programme, which implemented austerity measures on prison spending, has led to a reduction in the prison workforce without a corresponding reduction in the prison population. This policy has negatively affected healthcare in English prisons.

Find out more: https://bit.ly/3MHRPXU

13/05/2023

The impact of austerity has left English prisons “unable to provide safe environments for rising prison populations”, according to research by Nasrul Ismail, a lecturer in criminology at Bristol University: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/13/revealed-almost-1000-rapes-in-prisons-in-england-and-wales-since-2010

Police data underlines fears for the safety of inmates and staff amid overcrowding and budget cuts as a result of Tory austerity

08/05/2023

The UK government's austerity measures, implemented in English prisons by the 2012 Benchmarking Programme, have led to a sharp reduction in the prison workforce and a cut in budgets. This has left English prisons unable to provide safe environments for rising prison populations. After a decade of austerity, urgent changes are needed to improve prison services: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/policybristol/policy-briefings/prison-funding-austerity/

Raising awareness regarding the impact of austerity on the prison healthcare and prison services

09/04/2023

Boris Becker: UK prison sentence was ‘brutal’ experience. Three-times Wimbledon champion describes eight months in jail as ‘very, very different experience to what you see in the movies’: https://bit.ly/3o2BzGL

Three-times Wimbledon champion describes eight months in jail as ‘very, very different experience to what you see in the movies’

05/04/2023

Lewes Prison: Inmates face squalid conditions and violence, inspectors say: https://bbc.in/3ZIaqGr.

Inspectors found rising self-harm and filthy conditions, eight months after their previous visit.

09/02/2022

Record levels of self-harm found at Derbyshire women’s prison. Third of prisoners at Foston Hall tell inspectors they feel unsafe as calls to Samaritans rise: https://bit.ly/3sqND3b

Third of inmates at Foston Hall tell inspectors they feel unsafe as calls to Samaritans rise

26/01/2022

Overcrowding has persisted in prisons despite COVID-19 measures to reduce prison populations. The issue continues as the Police, Sentencing and Courts Bill aims to introduce longer prison sentences for non-violent crimes such as vandalising statues. Experts warn that these figures “raise serious questions as to what happens next”:

Sascha Lavin explores the ticking time-bomb at the heart of the criminal justice system

29/05/2021

The Observer - Life on the other side: meet five people who’ve had an extreme change of heart:
https://bit.ly/3i318CH

27/03/2021

New publication alert: Leaving no one behind in prison: improving the health of people in prison as a key contributor to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004252

28/09/2020

New article discusses how austerity policies of the UK Government have shaped and constrained the prison health system through the politics of deterioration, drift, distraction, and denial: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.09.004.

03/07/2020

"A prisoner should not automatically be handcuffed just because they're a prisoner. To do so may break Article Three of the European Convention of Human Rights": Prisoner with no legs handcuffed on hospital bed for 12 days before his death. Link: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prisoner-no-legs-handcuffed-hospital-21994398?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar