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PRISONS inspectors have described conditions in privatised court custody suites in England as among the worst they have ever seen, warning of “an accident waiting to happen.”
They found some detainees kept in “squalid” cells full of racist and abusive graffiti and with filthy toilets, while many were forced to spend up to 10 hours in tiny windowless rooms, an HM Inspectorate of Prisons report said.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said: “We found a dangerous disregard for the risks detainees might pose to themselves or others. Court custody is an accident waiting to happen.”
Howard League for Penal Reform head Frances Crook blamed poor contract management by the Ministry of Justice, along with private firms involved in handling prisoners and judges and magistrates “who are tolerating defendants being treated in this way.”
HM Courts and Tribunals Service said it was working with its partner agencies and the National Offender Management Service to improve its running of court custody areas.
