NCJ Number
237763
Date Published
2011
Length
106 pages
Annotation
This 2010-11 Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, the first year of service of the current Inspector, reports on what he has found in his examination and observations of prison life in the United Kingdom.
Abstract
In the Chief Inspector's first year, he reports that the strongest impact on him in the course of his prison visits was the fact that inmates were locked up for hours every day in small, shared cells with unscreened toilets. The lack of constructive activities for inmates outside of their cells was a significant finding. Most of the prisons inspected during the year, however, were safe; 8 out of 53 adult male prisons inspected were not sufficiently safe. Although there has been a decline in the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons, within this broad pattern of improvement, the inspection findings summarized in this report still identify areas of concern across all categories of prisons that compromise the safety of their inmates. The availability and use of drugs in prisons was shockingly high, appearing to be accepted as an inevitable part of prison life that some prison staff believe keeps inmates compliant. The Chief Inspector is committed to reducing both drug supply and demand through security measures and inmate drug treatment programs. Most prisoners indicated they were treated with respect by staff; however, efforts to address diversity among inmates regarding religion, race, age, and health handicaps were lacking in many prisons. This report also addresses inmate health services, education services, work opportunities, and skill-building. Attention is also given to resettlement, female inmates, incarcerated children and youth, the detention of immigrants, police custody, and military detention. 11 tables and appended information on inspections of specific prisons