Questions asked over future of Dartmoor prison
QUESTIONS are being raised as to how how long prisoners from HMP Dartmoor will be relocated – and whether there is even a future for the troubled prison. Earlier this week it was revealed that 175 HMP Dartmoor inmates were set to be evacuated from the category C men’s prison over the next two to four weeks.
This followed reports in March which revealed that around 200 inmates had been temporarily evacuated and that both former and service staff had contacted the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) about the potential health effects from working at the jail.
Prisoners were eventually returned to HMP Dartmoor at the start of July before this latest incident last week which has necessitated the removal of 175 inmates from the prison.
According to the Government’s own website on HMP Dartmoor, “up to 689 Dartmoor prisoners are accommodated at HMP Dartmoor”.
A spokesperson for the Prison Officers Association (POA) said: “It has been announced that due to dangerously high levels of Radon on the landings at Dartmoor, it will be getting temporarily closed with immediate effect.
“They will start decanting the 175 convicts [from July 18], 40 at a time, aiming for a total decant by the end of the month. Staff have been informed today and will be temporarily redeployed to other prisons in the area.”
As a result, the many staff and prison officers who work in the pre-Victorianera prison are being told they will be redeployed to other nearby prisons.
Sarah Rigby, South West representative for the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) has said the closure is currently expected to be temporary, for around four weeks, but admitted it may be for longer. She said efforts were being made to reduce the radon levels, but there will be financial considerations involved and “it might take a bit longer” than current time estimates.
According to the POA, 175 inmates will be moved to other jails in batches of 40 at a time, over the next two weeks, but after that prison officers will be “redeployed to surrounding prisons”, including HMP Channings Wood near Newton Abbot, and HMP Guys Marsh in Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Ms Rigby added that this would also be likely include the redeployment of the many civilian staff who work at HMP Dartmoor, but concerns have been raised if the temporary redeployment “becomes more permanent”.
Sarah added that at this point nobody has “ruled out voluntary redundancies” for prison officers or civilian staff if HMP Dartmoor is permanently closed. She told the BBC: “I think it’s going to be crunch time in the next few weeks, because if it’s going to cost too much, there are going be some permanent decisions made.”
A recent report noted that figures from the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service show there were 159 full-time equivalent prison officers working at Dartmoor Prison as of March 31.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, in last year’s HM Inspectorate of Prisons report, noted Dartmoor prison was “one of the oldest jails in the country”.
It was established in 1809 to hold French and American prisoners of war from the Napoleonic and American wars. Owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, it received a grade II heritage listing in 1987.
The Princetown prison was earmarked for closure as far back as 2013 and was expected to shut for good in 2023, but won a reprieve in 2021 due to ongoing population pressures across all the prisons in England and Wales.
Every building in the country reportedly contains radon gas. The radioactive gas – which we can’t see, smell or taste – needs special equipment to detect and comes from the rocks and soil found everywhere in the UK. The radon level in the air we breathe outside is very low but can be higher inside buildings. Although radon is a naturally occurring gas, it can pose some huge risks to public health when high levels are detected. The gas contributed to around 1,100 deaths from lung cancer each year in the UK.
According to UK Radon, the chemical produces a radioactive dust in the air we breathe. The dust is trapped in our airways and emits radiation that damages the inside of our lungs. This damage, like the damage caused by smoking, increases our risk of lung cancer.
Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), said conditions at Dartmoor had “deteriorated” since the decision to return prisoners to the jail, but the closure was “the correct decision”. He added: “The POA know this has come at the worst possible time with overcrowding and this could make matters worse, but there is no other option.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Our prisons are in crisis. This is the most recent illustration of why this Government was forced, in its first week, to take urgent action to release pressure on the estate. It is also why we are committed to building new prison places to lock up the most dangerous offenders and protect the public.”