‘Immediate action’ needed on private prison
The chief inspector of prisons has called for “immediate and decisive” action at a private prison in Warwickshire where inmates were found to be out of control.
Anne Owers said the situation at Rye Hill prison near Rugby had reached a point that staff, many of whom were “inexperienced and poorly supported”, were being bullied by inmates.
During her unannounced inspection, a death occurred that resulted in a murder investigation, while before the team arrived at Rye Hill the prison had seen a hostage situation.
Inspectors reported an increasing number of inmates testing positive for drugs and found knives, drugs and alcohol were all available on the wings at the prison, some of which were only staffed by two officers.
Inmates at the prison, which is owned and operated by private company GSL UK, reported that they sorted out fights and bullying themselves.
“So great were the concerns that I immediately informed ministers and urged the chief executive of the National Offender Management Service to take immediate and decisive action,” Ms Owers said.
Rye Hill is a category B jail and has a capacity of about 600 inmates. GSL has been fined £95,000 as a result of its poor performance.
The Prison Reform Trust said today’s report was “one of the most damning reports of a prison we have seen”, which painted a picture of an institution run not by private company but by the prisoners themselves.
Ms Owers’ report comments on the “keenness and enthusiasm” of residential staff but criticises their lack of training and adequate management support, and highlights the estimated 40 per cent staff turnover rate.
The director of the Prison Reform Trust, Juliet Lyon, said this turnover figure would “disgrace many burger bars”, saying it was “hazardous to safety and undermines the work of a prison in guiding prisoners towards a responsible life on release”.
In its defence, GSL said it had already taken steps to strengthen prison management, including the appointment of a new prison director and more experienced staff.
“In the introduction to her report, Anne Owers said that at the next inspection of Rye Hill she expects to see significant and sustained improvement. We are working hard to bring about that improvement and are confident that we will,” said new director Alan Bramley.
He noted Ms Owers’ praise for two GSL prisons recently, adding: “We have some way to go before Rye Hill is performing to the standards of these successful prisons that we operate, but we have begun to see improvements.”
