Prisons in England and Wales are in need of a "profound culture change" in order to prevent suicides among inmates, a new report suggests.
"Staff shortages, a toxic working environment and a failure to recognise the traumatising impact of prison for both prisoners and staff" are said to have contributed to the high number of suicides - 119 - in England and Wales last year. Poor mental health, combined with a lack of support, was also highlighted as a contributing factor.
The report, by the Centre for Mental Health and the Howard League for Penal Reform, recommends the justice system "shift from a primarily punitive approach to a culture centred on wellbeing, recovery and rehabilitation".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Its publication coincides with an undercover BBC investigation into HMP Northumberland, one of the largest prisons in the country which houses up to 1,348 male inmates. It found "widespread drug use, a lack of control, door alarms that did not go off in one block and a hole in an internal security fence".
The BBC describes the situation in the privately run prison as "chaos".
While campaigners have warned overcrowded jails put lives at risk, Justice Secretary Liz Truss will today insist cutting prison sentences would be a "dangerous quick fix", reports Sky News.
In a speech in London, she is to say it is right for "wicked" people who have committed serious crimes to spend longer behind bars.
The Ministry of Justice told the BBC: "The Justice Secretary has been clear that levels of violence and self-harm in our prisons are too high, which is why we are investing an extra £100m annually to boost the front line by 2,500 officers.
"These are long-standing issues which will not be resolved in weeks or months but we are determined to make our prisons places of safety and reform."
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate brandingIn the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why German men are most likely to sit down on the loofeature And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
‘Leaders must charm and show empathy’Instant Opinion Your digest of analysis from the British and international press
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
