Women’s Prison In England “Failing”: Report
A women’s prison in England has failed to meet challenges from a “complex and growing” number of vulnerable inmates, a report by HM Inspector of Prisons says. This from the BBC.
Staff at HMP Styal, in Cheshire, lack training and support to deal with the most “damaged” women, said Anne Owers … But the National Offender Management Service said “innovative” work at the prison had also been recognised … The announced inspection was carried out in September at the prison, which has 460 inmates – half of whom have issues with drugs. The report said that prisoners’ level of vulnerability compared with other women’s jails was “extremely high”. It concluded that HMP Styal “was not able to meet the scale and complexity of the needs of the women it held”.
On the Keller unit, for women with mental health issues, inspectors found the use of force by prison staff had “increased significantly”. These inmates, some of whom had serious self-harming issues, were often forced to strip as part of the prison’s care plan. The Keller prisoners were also locked up for most of the time …
Campaigners from Inquest, a charity which works with families of those who die in custody, have repeatedly protested outside the prison over the same issues. Co-director Deborah Coles said: “As the report demonstrates, the response of the Prison Service does not reflect the seriousness of the failings that have been exposed both by inspection reports and inquests into the deaths of vulnerable women. “What is needed is a fundamental rethink, not only about Styal but in the whole approach to women who offend, and the provision of alternatives to custody.”
Drug Treatment & Diversion, England & Wales, Europe, Female Inmates, INTERNATIONAL, Mental Health Issues