Prison targeted in violence-reduction scheme sees assaults rise 50pc

A FLAGSHIP prison saw assaults increase by 50 per cent despite being part of a £10million plan to reduce violence and drugs.

The average monthly number of assaults at Wormwood Scrubs in London rose from 34 to 51, according to an official audit of Rory Stewart’s 10 target jails; where the former prisons minister pledged to reduce violence and drugs in a year – or quit his post.

Nottingham also saw violence rise while in Hull there was no change.

Overall, the rate of assaults at the 10 jails fell by 16 per cent and the number of positive drug tests halved.

The jails were given the £10million to pay for body scanners, drug detection equipment, extra staff, repairs and refurbishment.

While the Prison Officers’ Association said that if Stewart was in post he would have had to go, as he had promised an improvement across the board, the Howard League for Penal Reform said he would not have had to resign.

Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the POA, said: “I would say to Rory Stewart that if his ten-prison project has not yielded results in all 10 prisons, it’s time for him to resign.”

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League, said she did not believe Mr Stewart would have had to resign: “It is a good thing they spent the money and prevented staff and people from being assaulted.”

At the prisons that did see an improvement, HMP Lindholme and HMP Isis both had a 46 per cent reduction in assaults, while drug use fell by 84 per cent at Lindholme and 78 per cent at HMP Wealstun.

Lucy Frazer, the Prisons Minister, said: “I am encouraged by the results of this bold project to turn around some of our most difficult prisons, which have seen drops in both violence and drug use.”