UK’s first private prison condemned in report

Britain’s first private prison, opened in the year Ken Clarke was Conservative Home Secretary, was roundly condemned by independent inspectors today.

Prisoners at HMP Wolds were found to be high on drugs while prison officers were low in confidence, said Dame Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, in a report seized on by penal reform groups who have criticised the over-reliance of private companies to run new prisons.

The Yorkshire training prison, managed by G4S, was also criticised by the inspectors for failures in dealing with violent incidents, suicide prevention schemes as well concerns over the safety of methadone dispensing.

Anne Owers said: “It is always disappointing to chart a decline in the performance of a prison but, sadly, that is the case with this inspection of HMP Wolds. The prison was not designed as a training prison and will always struggle to deliver the quality of purposeful activity that we expect.”

She added: “The deterioration in safety and security arrangements, particularly the significant increase in drug use and the weakness in staff supervision of prisoners, are issues that can and must be addressed.”

Opened in 1992, HMP Wolds was the first contract for a privately managed prison in England. HMP Wolds is a category C training prison, holding up to 395 sentenced male adults. G4S has managed HMP Wolds since opening, and was granted a ten year management contract extension in 2003.

Last week Mr Clarke, now the Justice Secretary in the Lib-Con Government, said he intended to cut the number of people being sent to prison but committed the Government to building new prisons to replace the old estate.

Commenting on the report, Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “This depressing report raises serious questions about the over-reliance on private companies in the running of the prison estate. Evidence on the performance of private prisons is inconclusive and needs further assessment. Many start off well but too often fall back to a level of performance below that of the public sector. High drug use at the Wolds, low staff confidence and limited training opportunities are not a recipe for success. Privatisation is clearly no panacea to the problems of an overcrowded and underperforming prison system.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said: "The Chief Inspector records a number of strengths at The Wolds, but the weaknesses she identifies are a concern.

The Director of Offender Management for Yorkshire and Humberside will work with G4S to address the concerns and improve performance."

In a separate report the Ministry of Justice was accused today of failing to get a grip on the public costs of prison and rehabilitation.

Commenting on the National Audit Office report on the financial management of the Ministry of Justice, South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, said: “This report does not paint a pretty picture. The Ministry of Justice’s approach to financial management is inconsistent and the Ministry lacks a clear, detailed understanding of the costs of its work in the courts, prisons or the probation service.”

He added: “The Ministry also struggles to see clearly the financial implications of its own policy proposals and is yet to commit to a clear plan to improve its financial management. In the current financial climate, all departments need to be absolutely clear about the costs of their activities. The Ministry of Justice needs push much harder on this and get to grips with its costs”.