UK prisons ‘drastically deteriorated’ after maintenance was privatised, says report
Staff have reported a “rodent infestation”, broken CCTV cameras, faulty lighting
and an “ongoing legionella issue” across the prison estate in England and Wales,
according to the report.
Wednesday 12 February 2025 15:29, UK
Conditions in UK prisons have “drastically deteriorated” after the previous Tory
government decided to privatise all maintenance work, according to a new report.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) called on Labour to bring maintenance
contracts back “in house” after previous decisions had been an “unmitigated
disaster” and created a system that is “failing at every level”.
The POA highlighted how courts in the Netherlands and Germany had previously
refused to extradite suspected drug smugglers back to the UK due to concerns the
prison conditions were “inhumane”.
Testimonies in the report from prison officers working in England and Wales
revealed a “crumbling estate, rodent infestations and appalling conditions” for
staff and prisoners.
One jail is said to have an “ongoing legionella issue” and is waiting for
underground water pipe replacement, said the POA.
There are also prisons with CCTV cameras which have been “broken for some time”
and faulty walkway lighting which is “putting staff at risk of trips and falls
during the night”.
Prison officers revealed there are water leaks, issues with fire alarms, and a
kitchen which has had no heating for eight years.
Another testimony outlined how there was a part of a jail which has been without
hot water since April 2022.
Prisoners and staff were using a “single portable sink” which left them with the
“inability to wash their hands properly” causing “unhygienic and deeply
demoralising” conditions.
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Read more:
‘Prisoners sent back to jail as it’s the easiest thing to do’
[https://news.sky.com/story/prisoners-being-sent-back-to-jail-because-its-the-easiest-thing-to-do-chief-inspector-of-probation-says-13298807]
Cells remain empty because they are not fit for inmates
[https://news.sky.com/story/under-strain-prison-system-to-shut-thousands-of-cells-for-fire-safety-and-security-improvements-13271258]
Officers said there were “never these problems when we had our own works
department” and repairs were normally carried out “promptly”.
The POA said maintenance contracts are up for renewal this year, providing the
opportunity for the “biggest wave of insourcing in a generation”.
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Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the POA, said: “The evidence we have heard
from prison officers across the country about the condition of the UK’s jails is
a damning indictment of privatised prison maintenance – a system that is failing
at every level.
“A decaying and crumbling prison estate does not create an atmosphere conducive
to rehabilitating offenders.
“We need to bring these contracts back in house to ensure that we have prisons
that are safe, hygienic and dignified for staff, prisoners and visitors.”
A Ministry Of Justice spokesperson told Sky News: “This government inherited a
prisons system in crisis – with crumbling infrastructure, dangerous prisons and
hard-working staff under immense pressure.
“The government has taken immediate action to address the crowding chaos
engulfing our jails.
“We are now focusing on improving conditions in the long term, including
investing £500m into prison and probation maintenance, which will improve
conditions and keep prisons secure.”
