Prison conditions ‘worst in a generation’ warns riot inquiry boss

A FORMER lord chief justice of England and Wales said he feared conditions in British prisons were among the worst in a generation – and compared it to the state of jails before the notorious Manchester Strangeways riot of 1990.

Lord Woolf led the inquiry into the riot, the longest in British history, which began on April 1 and lasted until April 25, resulting in the deaths of two people and scores of injuries.

Lord Woolf was speaking after a scathing report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found drugs were readily available, communal areas were in a “decrepit” state and there was a significant problem with cockroaches and rats at Liverpool jail.

He said: “[If] you ask me whether we have gone back to where we were pre-Strangeways, I think we are there in that sort of territory.

“It is not confined to one of our prison establishments. It is across the board.

“There has been a complete breakdown in recognising the fact that serious action is needed, and recognising that the only way to do it is to have a long-term plan, with somebody in charge of it throughout the term.”

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart said prison “remains a deeply disturbing place”, citing the prevalence of sophisticated criminal gangs behind bars, drug use and “horrifying rates of self-harm”.

He added: “But my instinct is that with focus and pragmatism, we can begin to make a real difference , to the lives of those inside , and ultimately to protecting the public outside the prison walls.”

Analysis of 118 prison inspection reports was yesterday said to have found that more than two-thirds provided unsatisfactory standards in at least one respect.