Government announces £30m to 'bring jails up to standard'

'In too many parts of our prison estate today cells are dirty with peeling paint and exposed wiring, shower and toilet facilities are filthy or broken and food serving and eating areas do not meet modern food hygiene standards'

Mr Gauke said part of the new package would go towards improving the fabric of prisons to ensure that they are brought back up to ‘acceptable standards’ (Reuters)

A £30m “improvement package” aimed at bringing jails “back up to standards” has been announced by the government, but campaigners have said the plans fall short of tackling problems facing the prison system.

Justice Minister David Gauke said the money would go towards tackling organised crime behind bars and resolving maintenance issues such as exposed wiring and “filthy” sanitation.

Speaking at the Centre for Social Criminal Justice (CSCJ), he said there would be a renewed drive to “make it clear to gangs that criminality stops at the prison gate” and creating a “decent, safe and secure environment” behind bars.

Mr Gauke said £16m of the new package would go towards improving the fabric of prisons, targeting establishments with the most pressing maintenance issues and to ensure that they are brought back up to “acceptable standards”.

A further £7m will go towards new security measures, including airport security-style scanners, improved searching techniques and phone-blocking technology, while the remaining £7m is to be spent on in-cell telephones for more prisons.

“Once in prison, offenders deserve to live in decent, safe and secure environments. In too many parts of our prison estate today cells are dirty with peeling paint and exposed wiring, shower and toilet facilities are filthy or broken, and food serving and eating areas do not meet modern food hygiene standards,” he said.

“Decency also extends to how we treat prisoners – fairly and consistently, with time out of their cells, activities, and the opportunity to maintain family relationships. As Lord Farmer made clear in his ground-breaking review last year, supportive relationships are critical to achieving rehabilitation.”

Politicians and campaigners said the funding demonstrated that “positive steps” were being taken to make jails safer and welcomed the spending on more phones in cells allowing more prisoners to stay in contact with their families.

But they said the announcement failed to represent any “serious plan” to tackle the root causes of problems faced by prisoners and claimed the effectiveness of some of the measures “remained to be seen”.

Richard Burgon, Labour’s shadow justice secretary, said Mr Gauke had: “Failed to provide a serious plan to tackle the root causes of the prisons crisis, which is driven by the Tories’ deep cuts to staff numbers and budgets.”

He added: “The government’s claim that it is turning prisons into places of reform will remain a pipe-dream while understaffing and overcrowding leaves prisoners locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day.”

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said that after years of underinvestment which has seen violence, self-injury and suicide behind bars rise to record levels, it was ”encouraging” to see the government taking some “positive steps” to make prisons safer.

“Particularly welcome is the decision to provide more phones in cells, which will enable more prisoners to stay in contact with their families. This could make a real difference in prisons, where some prisoners spend up to 23 hours a day locked in their cells with nothing to do, and we know that supportive relationships are key to helping people to lead crime-free lives on release.

But he added: “The effectiveness of some of the other measures outlined today remains to be seen. It’s also worth saying that a prison system which is safe, clean and decent should not be merely an aim. It should be the basis upon which much more happens – including eradicating overcrowding and offering positive activities out of cell for many more prisoners.”

Mr Gauke also expressed his backing for community prison sentences as opposed to short-term sentences.

He said: “It is time to look at the alternatives to prison, to enable prisoners to abandon their often petty crimes, get the treatment they need to stay out of prison and stop putting the burden on society. For those for whom prison is the only alternative, we must provide prisons that are safe, decent, orderly environment.

“My objective is create a safer, fair, more productive prison system. We need to reform our prisons to be more effective at cutting crime. Now is the time to press ahead.”