Prison's 'restrictive' regime slammed

23 February 2006

A DAMNING new report has criticised a high-security prison for 'struggling to meet the demands' of its inmates.

Belmarsh Prison in Yarnton Way, Thamesmead, has been criticised in the report by the prison's Independent Monitoring Board.

The annual report, conducted by Chair of the Board David Pinchin said the prison is 'struggling to provide an adequate mix of facilities to meet the complex demands of a diverse population'.

The report stated: "The prisonhas a heavy emphasis on security and containment, which is actually only appropriate for a very small proportion of the prisoners.

"As a result, the regime for the majority is too restrictive and it does not deliver sufficient purposeful activity or any offending behaviour programmes. Despite valiant efforts, time out of cell is very limited and there is a need for association to be delivered more consistently."

The report also criticised the time period between custody deaths and coroner's inquests and the 'unacceptable' level of care given to mental health patients.

It was recommended that Woolwich Crown Court is used more by prisoners on remand rather than 'unnecessary' travel to Central London, something the Home Secretary Charles Clarke is urged to address.

The document stated: "It is simply a waste of resources for prisoners to be escorted back and forth to central London when accommodation is available next door. Travel outside the establishment significantly adds to the risk of security breaches."

Mr Pinchin said: "We are genuinely very pleased with progress that the prison has made in the last year but we are still concerned about a number of important outstanding matters that we have been promised action on before, but which has not been forthcoming.

"We are going to monitor these issues closely and push hard for improvements."

He added: "We are sure that with a greater degree of flexibility in the way in which staff are managed, a better balance can be struck between simple containment and more purposeful activities so that the day-to-day regime is more relevant to the needs of individual prisoners."

The report authors noted the period between July 2004 and June last year, before current governor Claudia Sturt took over the reigns.

A prison service spokesman said all deaths in custody are dealt with promptly and that the prison adheres to the coroner's timetable.

She added that mental health patients are looked after by the Department of Health at the prison and that Woolwich Crown Court is used where necessary. She said: "Often video link-ups are used to minimise the number of court appearances."

Belmarsh, a Category A prison, is home to 920 high and low risk inmates. It has housed some of the country's high-profile criminals, including Ronnie Biggs as well as Ian Huntley.