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4 days ago
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Assaults in prisons have been rising with an average of 74 a day recorded in England and Wales last year, including 25 assaults a day inflicted on staff, House of Commons library research has shown.
The figures, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, show that of the 26,912 assaults that took place over the course of the year, about 3,200 were deemed to be serious – an average of eight a day.
The research also revealed the most violent prisons in England and Wales. HMP Wandsworth in south-west London saw by far the most assaults, recording 1,044, with more than half of these (571) being on staff. HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, north Wales, had the next highest number with 783 assaults, and then Thameside, in Thamesmead, south-east London, recording 667.
The figures showed a 28% increase in assaults on 2022, at a time when prisons have been struggling with overcrowding and poor conditions in their buildings.
The Labour government inherited such a crisis in prisons when it came to power in July that it had to take a decision to authorise the early release of many prisoners 40% of the way through their sentences.
Josh Babarinde, the Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson, urged the government to come forward with an “urgent plan to make our prisons safer”.
“[Labour] must recruit and retain more prison officers, tackle the criminal courts backlog, and invest properly in rehabilitation to reduce reoffending,” he said. “The Conservatives have left our prisons in utter chaos. With this staggering number of assaults and rates of reoffending through the roof, the Conservatives have left a system that is failing prison staff, failing victims, and failing our communities.
“Their neglect of our justice system is unforgivable, and their former ministers should hang their heads in shame for this shambolic legacy.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The new government inherited overcrowded prisons, plagued by violence and close to collapse. We have taken immediate action to address this crisis, and have a long-term plan to ensure we are never in this position again.
“All assaults in prison are taken extremely seriously. Our hard-working staff have tools like Pava synthetic pepper spray and body-worn cameras to keep them safe. We will continue to bear down on violence in our prisons.”
David Gauke, the former Conservative justice secretary, who is leading a review of sentencing for the government, told the Times this week that the UK could be making better use of open prisons. He said that “we have run out of space” in prisons but there was “an opportunity” for things to change.
Speaking after visits to three prisons in Spain, where reforms have included the greater use of open prisons, Gauke said: “We don’t make as much use of open prisons as we might do. You might spend part of your day out of a prison working, and then return to sleep at night – if that gets you into the rhythm of working and the disciplines of working, then that is helpful.”
The review aims to explore tougher punishments outside prison, while also making sure there is space to incarcerate the most dangerous offenders.
