Access to resources and support

• • Peter Dawson (Director of the Prison Reform Trust) 2018
  • Chronic levels of overcrowding and declining standards of safety and purposeful activity in our prisons
  • If prisoners do not have access to resources and support then this will limit their ability to rehabilitate and so will reduce the arbitrary of the prison service to achieve social control
• • When they are released, prisoners will also face with finance, accommodation, employment or training
  • A lack of support with these issues for prisoners when they are released will limit social control
• The prison population has increased by 70% in last 30 years

  • It is currently to rise by around 19,000 people by 2026
• Scotland and England and Wales have the highest imprisonment rates in Western Europe
• • Between 2010 - 11 and 2014 - 15 its resource budget was reduced by 20%
  • 4% rise in 2021, its resource budget remains 6% lower in real terms than in 2010 - 11
• • Lost of a prison place reduced by 15% in real terms between 2009 - 10 and 2019 - 20
  • Average annual overall lost of a prison place in England and Wales is now £46,696
• If prisoners do not have access to resources and support then this will limit their ability to rehabilitate and so will reduce the ability of the prison service to achieve social control
• Mental health in prison

  • The trust says 90% of inmates have at least one diagnosed mental health disorder, and one in ten has a serious mental health issue
• • More than 2/3 (67%) of people surveyed by inspectors said they needed help with their mental health in their current prison
  • Only around 1/3 (35%) of those said they received help
• • A justice committee report found that around 10% of those in prison are receiving treatment for mental illness, with some form of mental health need at any one time
  • 1,095 people were transferred from prison to a secure hospital in 2021, a highest number since records began
• Purposeful activity

  • Purposeful activity includes education, work and other activities to aid rehabilitation whilist in prison
  • 22 inspectations of prisons and young offender institutions conducted by ofsted in 2021 - 2022, only one institution was judged to be providing education, work or skills at a reasonable standard
• Purposeful activity

  • 64
• Purposeful activity

  • 64% of people entering prison were asserted as having literacy skills of an 11 year old - more than four times higher than in the general adult population (15%)