Britain’s ten worst prisons
Mixed results for the £10m scheme designed to cut violence
The number of deaths in the ten worst prisons in England and Wales has increased year on year, despite a £10m government push to reduce violence.
The “10 Prisons Project” was announced in August 2018 by the then prisons minister, Rory Stewart, and aimed to tackle drugs, discipline and violence.
Prisoner deaths increased by 20% in the 11 months since the initiative was launched compared to the previous year, according to data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the charity Inquest.
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.
Overall, prison violence has reached an all-time high in England and Wales, with the number of assaults rising 11% to a record high of 34,425 in the year to March, reports The Financial Times.
The UK prison system has come under intense scrutiny over issues such as violence, understaffing, drug use, crumbling infrastructure and overcrowding.
In July 2018 the then justice secretary, David Gauke, unveiled a £30m package designed to improve security in jails and provide funds for essential maintenance.
The ten selected prisons shared a £10m pot of extra funding to improve security in their jails and upgrade the substandard living conditions - the “10 Prisons Project”.
Governors at the ten establishments were given hi-tech body scanners and sniffer dogs trained to detect new psychoactive substances.
But now the charity Inquest has condemned the scheme as a “fundamentally flawed vanity project”, saying it failed to create safer prisoners, despite creating a higher staff-to-inmate ratio in the problem prisons, reports The Guardian.
The MoJ released figures last week showing an overall 16% reduction in assaults and a 50% reduction in positive drug tests across the ten prisons.
But the number of assaults in both Wormwood Scrubs and Nottingham went up, and the number was unchanged in Hull.
Drug use fell by 84% at Lindholme and 78% at Wealstun, and Lindholme and Isis both had a 46% reduction in assaults.
Prisons Minister Lucy Frazer 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.”
Here’s a full list of the prisons designated the most trouble:
Leeds
Hull
Humber
Lindholme
Moorland
Wealstun
Nottingham
Ranby
Isis
Wormwood Scrubs
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Saint Paul de Vence: a paradise for art lovers
The Week Recommends The hilltop gem in the French Riviera where 20th century modernism flourished
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
'People in general want workers to earn a decent living'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Virtual prisons': how tech could let offenders serve time at home
Under The Radar New technology offers opportunities to address the jails crisis but does it 'miss the point'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The countries that could solve the UK prisons crisis
The Explainer Britain's jails are at breaking point, and ministers are looking overseas for solutions
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
DOJ investigates Tennessee's largest prison
Speed Read Federal authorities are looking into reports of substantial violence and sexual abuse at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Tuscany's idyllic island prison with a waiting list
Under the Radar Europe's last island prison houses 90 inmates and makes wine that sells for $100 a bottle
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
Can Starmer's plan solve the prisons crisis?
Today's Big Question Releasing inmates early is 'least worst option' to tackle overcrowding, but critics say it puts public at risk
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The most famous prison breaks of all time
The Explainer Many people have escaped from behind bars over the decades
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Daniel Khalife escape: how secure are UK prisons?
Today's Big Question MPs and experts blame austerity cuts for chronic understaffing, overcrowding and inexperienced guards
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Daniel Abed Khalife: how did terror suspect escape from Wandsworth prison?
Today's Big Question ‘Gob-smacking’ events raise urgent questions about state of UK’s criminal justice system
By Julia O'Driscoll Published