The Howard League for Penal Reform has said 'bold action' is needed following the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons
An organisation calling for penal reform has said “bold action” is needed after a report said it was easy to find drugs but hard to find clean clothes and bedding at Cardiff prison.
The Howard League for Penal Reform spoke out after officials from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons visited the capital in July and August – finding HMP Cardiff to be understaffed and overcrowded.
Designed to accommodate 539 men, the report said it was actually holding 770 at the time of the inspection, and that a “significant number” of men had been transferred into the prison from English jails.
It also found staff shortages and the increased availability and use of new psychoactive substances had led to a rise in “unpredictable and violent behaviour”.
Drugs availability
The report, published on Tuesday, found almost half of prisoners said it was easy to get illegal drugs.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “This inspection report on Cardiff prison is slightly better than reports on other prisons which we have seen of late, but still it raises considerable cause for concern.
“Cardiff is an overcrowded and understaffed prison where it is easy to get drugs but much harder to get clean bedding. It is disgusting to find that many of the men crammed into this jail have only one set of clothes to wear.”
The report also found the shortfalls in staffing meant a temporary, restricted regime was in place at the time of the inspection.
Inspectors’ roll checks during the working day found that almost half of prisoners were locked in their cells. They also found that some cells were in a poor state, and there was a lack of basic facilities such as clean clothes and bedding, and many prisoners had just one set of clothes.
Mental health problems'
Cardiff prison also reportedly had an “unusually high” level of reported mental health problems.
While healthcare was generally good, and there was good provision for those suffering from severe mental health issues, there were a “large number” of prisoners with lower-level mental health problems whose needs “were not being adequately met”.
According to the Howard League, Cardiff is one of the first prisons to have implemented a smoking ban.
The report found there had been a short-term rise in violent incidents, but that measures introduced by management, such as providing access to e-cigarettes and training peer supporters to help people give up smoking, had been “reasonably effective”.
Ms Crook added: “This report illustrates why we must reduce pressure on the prison system. Bold action is needed to stop throwing so many people into these failing institutions, where they are swept away into deeper currents of crime.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/its-easier-find-drugs-clean-12311022
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