Prisons are 'in crisis' government tells leicestershirelive

England's prisons are “in crisis”, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has told LeicestershireLive. The government department's statement comes after a report on HMP Leicester found the

city’s prison is “no longer fit for purpose”. A review by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) – volunteers who monitor standards at the prison – revealed increasing incidents of violence

and self-harm and high levels of drug use at HMP Leicester. It also said the ageing prison, parts of which date back 150 years, required “considerable investment to bring it up to an

acceptable standard”. We asked the MoJ what it was planning to do to solve the problems identified, what its plan was to bring the condition of the prison back up to scratch and whether it

believed the continued use of HMP Leicester was a viable investment going forwards. READ MORE: Drive to tackle ‘serious’ and ‘organised’ crime in ‘deprived’ estate Other issues identified by

the IMB included damp issues and “infestations”, and broken windows which let in drafts and drugs. It also found that too-high numbers of prisoners at HMP Leicester meant there “were

occasions [when] there was insufficient basic clothing and kit”, with inmates having to share cells intended for one person. At the same time, delays in the prison system meant prisoners who

were at the prison until their case was heard or sentence delivered were not moving on as quickly as they should be, increasing capacity issues. It also found there were often long delays

with transferring prisoners who needed to be held in “secure hospital settings”, with some waiting up to 195 days – much longer than the 28-day target. A spokeswoman for the MoJ told us:

“Prisons are in crisis – putting significant pressure on the whole justice system. We will get a grip of the situation so we can lock up the most dangerous offenders, protect the public and

make our prisons safer for hard-working staff.” She added that HMP Leicester had a number of processes to “ensure illicit items do not enter the prison”, including dog handlers who searched

for drugs. The dogs are capable of detecting a new form of drug identified as a concern by the IMB, the spokeswoman added. The drug is harder to detect because it is in liquid form and can

be soaked into clothing or paper. Where prisoners are identified as users, they are “given support”, the spokeswoman said. The prison also has enhanced gate security to “reduce the risk of

human conveyance of illicit items”, the spokeswoman said. The prison service has invested in such measures, including X-ray body scanners, across its estate and as of October 2023, more than

46,000 illicit items had been found by the new X-ray scanners, she added. The IMB cited in its report deliveries by drones as an area of particular concern. It said broken windows and

grilles allowed illicit items to be delivered into the prison by drones. “This is a disturbing development,” the board stated. “It is difficult to detect during hours of darkness and is made

easier by the deteriorating fabric of cell windows and their grilles.” In response, the government spokeswoman told LeicestershireLive that the prison service had "measures in place to

detect drone deliveries". She did not elaborate on how those measures were being deployed to tackle the issue at HMP Leicester. To reduce the risk of self-harm, HMP Leicester had

recruited five “listeners” – inmates who support prisoners in crisis or at risk of self-harm, the prison service spokeswoman said. The prison has also “been working with the police to reduce

violence through information sharing to identify community conflicts, which are the main drivers for violence, prior to prisoners arriving”, the spokeswoman added. She did not expand on the

impact those measures had had, if any, on reducing self-harm and violence at HMP Leicester, which the IMB said had increased significantly in 2023 compared to 2022. Regarding our question

on whether continued investment into HMP Leicester was a viable option, she said: “Investment has been and continues to be given to HMP Leicester to improve the fabric of the prison, with

floor replacement and drain pipe replacement among the most recent updates, and a shower refurbishment in progress. Staff also undertake regular decency checks on all cells.” There is also a

“well-established” risk assessment in place for cell sharing which “ensures that suitable sharing arrangements and risks are managed”, the spokeswoman added. “Prisoners can be assigned

single cells if they have a medical condition,” she said. The new Labour Government has previously described overcrowding in prisons as “a powder keg waiting to explode”. The party has

pledged to deliver 20,000 more places for prisoners and create “employment councils” to “linking offenders to training and jobs”, which it says will “drive down reoffending” and reduce “the

burden on capacity in the long term”.