Problems continue to blight ‘powder keg’ jail

MP BLASTS ‘CHAOTIC’ EVENTS AT PRIVATE-RUN PRISON

Reporter IT is the prison dubbed a “powder keg” following exploding levels of violence and widespread drug use.

HMP Northumberland was embroiled in a number of highprofile scandals in 2017 following a series of dangerous incidents.

A BBC documentary uncovered scenes of disarray inside the troubled jail, which sparked major safety concerns for staff.

A damning report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons also underlined how violent incidents had more than doubled since 2014.

Four years ago, the 1,300-capacity Acklington jail was placed in the hands of private company Sodexo.

Nick Leader, who became the new director at the prison last May, and the third man to run the jail since the firm took over, said staff are working hard to tackle drugs and violence.

But Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery said the past 12 months have shown “just how chaotic things are” at the jail under the company’s leadership.

“I have seen a continual flood of concerns from families, staff and even inmates about operations at the prison,” he said.

“I reiterate the calls I have consistently made over the past four years since the prison was privatised.

“Prisons should not be run for private profit and we need to return this facility to public control or we will see little improvement.”

The report into the category-C HMP Northumberland, published last month, found 58% of prisoners had felt unsafe at some time.

Almost two thirds of inmates said that it was “easy or very easy” to get hold of drugs, while 21% said they had picked up a drug habit in jail.

Inspectors also raised concerns that few of the shortcomings identified by Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigations into six suicides had been addressed.

The report came nine months after an explosive BBC investigation revealed the chaos guards face.

Harrowing footage showed one officer having convulsions on the floor after accidentally inhaling spice, a cheap but strong synthetic alternative to cannabis.

Staff also found door alarms did not go off in one block and a hole in an internal security fence, which was believed to have been used by inmates to collect contraband.

Druridge Bay councillor Scott Dickinson said: “In the early days they asked for time but this has gone on and on. The last report was really concerning which said it was really easy to get drugs on the inside.

“On top of that, prison is supposed to be a place for rehabilitation but they are saying they are developing drug habits. It is having a knock on effect on the local community.”

Mr Leader said that Sodexo has built positive links with the community, including businesses, authorities, agencies and charities.

“Through those relationships we have been able to provide meaningful rehabilitation activities for prisoners,” he added.

“We have good relationships with trade unions and now Sodexo is responsible for Northumbria CRC, our staff are in a unique position to make a positive impact on offenders’ lives when they’re in the prison and when they’re being supervised in the community.

“We continue to work hard to tackle drugs and violence, which are a challenge across the whole prison estate, and have strengthened our violence reduction team, introduced more drug testing and secured funding for additional CCTV equipment.”