News

Staff have 'lost control' of Guys Marsh prison

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

A HM Inspectorate of Prisons report published today has found high levels of violence and a drugs and gang culture operating openly at Guys Marsh prison in Dorset, the BBC reports

In the introduction to the report the Chief Inspector, Nick Hardwick,  describes finding 'a prison that was in crisis, where managers and staff had all but lost control'. 

Prisoners were found to be deliberately causing disruption in order to be put in segregation where they would be safer; an increasingly common phenomenon in prisons.  The report also draws attention to low staffing levels and overcrowding in the prison. 

Hardwick goes on to say 'the failures of the prison....posed unacceptable risks to the public, staff and prisoners and this cannot be allowed to continue'.

Last week a report by the Justice Committee warned the Justice Minister, Chris Grayling, not to downplay the significance of the decline in prison safety as it could be construed as complacency and a lack of urgency. 

Another Justice Committee report released last week criticised the Justice Secretary for placing two Conservative Party politicians on the appointment panel for the new Chief Inspector of Prisons. This followed the controversial decision not to automatically extend Nick Hardwick's contract, a move seen by many as a way of silencing an outspoken critic of Chris Grayling's record in prisons.