Prisoners isolate themselves to escape violence

MIDLAND prisoners have been left cowering in their cells for months in fear of violence at a jail hit by a “shocking” decline in standards, a damning report reveals.

Inspectors found inmates locked up for the best part of 24 hours, day after day, at Wolverhampton’s HMP Featherstone.

The “self-isolating” individuals described suffering abuse such as fellow prisoners urinating under their doors, while there were claims some staff called them “scaredy cats”.

The findings, which provide the latest evidence of the safety crisis that has engulfed jails across Eng- land and Wales, emerged in a report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP).

Inspectors visited Featherstone, a Category C training and resettlement prison holding about 650 men, in October and November.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said there had been a “shocking worsening in standards” since the last inspection in 2013.

He added: “One of the symptoms of the lack of safety was the number of men who chose to self-isolate in an attempt to escape the violence.”

Inspectors found a number of prisoners “living in fear”, locked up for almost the entire day, day after day, without any meaningful contact. Most felt at risk of violence because of debts and had asked to stay locked behind their doors for their own protection.

The report said: “These ‘self-isolators’ told us about the abuse they suffered, describing people shouting through, spitting at and urinating under the cell door. They could not access showers, exercise, food or work without fear of repercussion.

“Some officers showed concern, while others referred to them as ‘scaredy cats’ and described their predicament as ‘self-inflicted’.”

The management of these prisoners was unregulated, with some remaining isolated for several months, the watchdog found.

A survey found nearly two in three inmates said it was easy to get drugs, while levels of violence had increased including assaults on staff.

Mr Clarke said the backdrop to the decline at Featherstone was “clear evidence of poor industrial relations, staff shortages and some significant prisoner unrest”.

During the summer the segregation unit was seriously damaged and was still out of use at the time of the inspection.