The IAPDC responds to the Chief Inspector for Prisons’ annual report

The Chief Inspector for Prisons’ annual report is a sobering reminder that prisoners continue to be left behind while the rest of society has long emerged from the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic. His report finds that many prisons are still failing to return to pre-pandemic regimes while there is a continuing decline in the provision of purposeful activity. We know that having a sense of purpose is crucial to prisoners’ mental health and safety. Yet prisoners continue to be locked inside their cells for “unacceptably long periods of time”, with some prisoners locked up for 23 hours a day.

The early days of custody can be a particularly difficult time and a period of heightened vulnerability for prisoners at risk of suicide. It is therefore alarming that prisoners spent their first few days in “bleak, grubby and unwelcoming” cells in over two thirds of the prisons inspected. Meanwhile, first night interviews – vital to identifying any immediate or urgent concerns – were not held in private in one fifth of prisons. This inevitably impacts prisoners’ willingness to disclose important information about their health, any problems with drugs and/or alcohol, and if they are feeling distressed or anxious.

We have heard from prisoners how much they value support through the Listener and key work schemes. These can be lifelines for individuals who are at risk of harming themselves. However, the report finds that key work was “piecemeal or tokenistic”, and only 38% of prisoners thought it was easy to speak to a Listener. In the 12 months to March 2023 – the same period covered in the Chief Inspector’s report – 82 individuals took their own lives in prison. Many of these sad deaths may have been prevented with proper support and interventions in place.

More encouragingly, the report points to the good availably and quality of treatments and support for prisoners engaging in substance misuse. The scale of alcohol and drug misuse in prison is tragically high, and it both directly and indirectly leads to deaths. However, the report raises concerns about the quality of healthcare and “an emerging fragility” relating to the provision of mental health support. Research by IAPDC members has shown that prisoners with a current psychiatric diagnosis are at an elevated risk of suicide. Mental health services must be adequately resourced and universally available to prisoners.

Read HM Chief Inspector of Prisons’ annual report: 2022 to 2023 here.