[Nettime-bold] 'Women prisoners still neglected due to cost-cutting'

[radtimes <resist@best.com>]

'Women prisoners still neglected due to cost-cutting'

Fri, 28 Sep 2001

Women inmates at Holloway Prison are still being neglected because the 
Prison Service puts cost-cutting first, the Chief Inspector of Prisons says.

The jail in north London has improved significantly but still fails many 
prisoners, Sir David Ramsbotham says.

He walked out of Holloway on an earlier visit because he was so disgusted 
by conditions.

"We gained the distinct impression that, rather than being able to 
concentrate on the needs, treatment and conditions for prisoners, the 
governor and therefore staff, were under competing direction which, because 
it came from political and Prison Service masters, was seen as being of 
greater importance," said Sir David.

"Furthermore we gained the distinct impression that Prison Service 
headquarters was far more concerned about key performance indicators ... 
and budgetary matters than with identifying and satisfying the needs of 
prisoners."

Staff at the jail, which has 500 prisoners, and which costs £40,500 per 
inmate a year to run, have shown a "great deal of positive and creative 
thinking" and produced vast improvements in recent years, said Sir David.

The Chief Inspector also criticised Holloway's recent practice of holding 
unsentenced child prisoners with convicted adults.

"The stupidity of putting impressionable children in dormitories with 
hardened criminals is beyond my comprehension," he said. "Common sense, 
never mind the law, should dictate that this is wholly inappropriate."

Director general of the Prison Service Martin Narey said: "There is no 
doubt that the variety of women held at Holloway and its wide court 
catchment area contribute to make it a complex and demanding prison.

"There has been a great deal of improvement and I am very pleased that the 
establishment is continuing to provide high quality programmes for women 
with different emotional needs, in particular the support given to 
first-time detainees."

See this story on the web at http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_410034.html


_______________________________________________
Nettime-bold mailing list
Nettime-bold@nettime.org
http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold