A GRIM picture of violence, drug use, self-harm and lack of purpose has been exposed at yet another prison by inspectors.
A damning report on HMP Lewes in East Sussex follows last week’s exposure of drugs, violence and understaffing at HMP Wandsworth in London.
Inspectors at Lewes prison, where more than half the occupants are remanded awaiting trial, found it “battling rising violence, self-harm, drugs and a churn of men caught in a cycle of homelessness and offending.”
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said that despite improvements under a new governor, “the jail remained trapped in a cycle of staffing shortfalls, boredom and drugs, driving rising violence and self-harm” that was not unique to Lewes.
Inspectors also found that the government’s early release scheme meant prisoner resettlement plans were undermined.
One high-risk prisoner who was a danger to children was released early despite having a history of stalking and domestic abuse.
Howard League for Penal Reform chief executive Andrea Coomber said: “This is the latest in a seemingly never-ending line of inspection reports revealing major problems in a prison system that has been asked to do too much, with too little, for too long.”
Prison Officers Association (POA) general secretary Steve Gillan said: “Yet again this comes as no surprise to me or the POA.
“Government policy for over 14 years has meant we are merely warehousing prisoners in dangerous and overcrowded conditions up and down the country and Lewes is no exception.
“Unless there is change in this country in just locking people up then the crisis will get worse.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "While we will always ensure there is enough capacity to keep dangerous offenders behind bars, this scheme allows us to ease short-term pressures on prisons by moving some lower-level offenders at the end of their custodial term on to licence.
“These offenders will continue to be supervised under strict conditions such as tagging and curfews, and the prison service can block the earlier release of any individual who poses a heightened risk.”
