Summary
Covid-19 presents an unprecedented public health crisis that has put additional pressure on a prison system already in a state of crisis. This report looks at the measures the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have taken in response, focusing primarily on regime changes and strategies to manage the prison population.
The Committee pays tribute to all the prison officers, governors and other staff of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service who have worked to maintain safe, secure and stable prisons during the coronavirus pandemic. It is a sad inevitability that serving officers and other staff have contracted the virus and it is a tragedy that a number have died in the service of others and of the wider community. Our thoughts are with their families. It is also a matter of great sadness that some prisoners in the care of the state have contracted the virus, and, again, that a number have died. It is, however, a considerable tribute to HMPPS and its entire staff that those numbers are comparatively low, as a result of the actions taken to minimise the spread of the virus within prisons and other custodial environments, and they deserve the thanks of all of us for performing an often unsung role so courageously and so effectively.
Covid-19 presents the prison service with substantial challenges. The service is responding to the pandemic against a backdrop of overcrowding and long-term under-investment in the prison estate. Self-harm and violence in prisons had reached record highs before the pandemic began, and the prison population tends to have poorer health than the general population, and thus a greater need for health care. This is a complex environment at the best of times, and Covid-19 exacerbates many existing problems.
The Ministry of Justice, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and wider stakeholders deserve praise for the vital work done. In particular, front-line prison staff have adapted well to the current climate and continue to protect those in their care and the public.
On 24 March 2020, the prison service moved to an exceptional model of delivery, meaning that the estate was placed in lockdown, with regimes restricted. This means that prisoners are spending less time out of cell, and visits and employment for non-essential reasons have been suspended, with education also severely reduced, among other restrictions on prison life. The Ministry and HMPPS also introduced measures aimed at managing the existing prison population, including: implementation of a cohorting strategy, installation of temporary accommodation and the early release of some prisoners, though significantly fewer than was suggested in MoJ messaging.
Regime changes were a necessary initial step to save lives, and we welcome the additional support that has been provided to prisoners during this time, particularly the provision of phone handsets to ensure prisoners can maintain contact with families. We are concerned about how long lockdown measures have been in place, and while we recognise the increased complexities of moving a prison out of lockdown, we are concerned about the effect severe restrictions will have on prisoners. The prison estate has been in a state of lockdown for 15 weeks, and it is concerning that prisoners have not yet begun to transition from that state.
We are particularly concerned about how restricted regimes may affect the mental health of adults and children held in the secure estate, and we call on the Ministry to set out what additional measures and support have been put in place to mitigate any negative effects.
We broadly welcome the population management measures put in place to increase headroom in the estate, but we note that the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme has had minimal impact on the population, with just over 200 of the 4,000-plus potentially eligible prisoners released in three months.
Reduced court activity, meaning fewer new prisoners, and the scheduled release of prisoners at the end of their sentences has driven the reduction in overall prison population. As court activity begins to increase, we are concerned about whether the population will again rise, to the extent that it reduces prison staff’s ability to separate and cohort prisoners in the way that is presently being done. We call on the Government to set out what work has been carried out to understand the potential impact of increased court activity on the number of people in prison and how any influx in population will be managed.
Published: 27 July 2020