Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Poor conditions and crowding within the prison estate are in large part the result of...
Conclusion
Poor conditions and crowding within the prison estate are in large part the result of historical under-investment in maintenance. HMPPS regularly has to take prison cells out of permanent use because of the state of disrepair. Between 2009–10 and 2019–20, HMPPS took 1,730 prison cells permanently out of use for failing to meet the required 9 Qq 6–8 10 Qq 53, 56 11 Q 112, C&AG’s report Appendix 1 12 C&AG’s report, para 1.17 13 Qq 95, 112 14 Q 32, C&AG’s report, para 5, 1.4–1.5 15 IPE0006 - Improving the prison estate, Professor Nicola Padfield (Professor of Criminal and Penal Justice at University of Cambridge), 1 July 2020; IPE0008 - Improving the prison estate, Transition to Adulthood Alliance, 1 July 2020; IPE0003 - Improving the prison estate, Prison Reform Trust, 1 July 2020 16 Q 29 Improving the prison estate 11 legislative and prison standards. The rate at which prison cells are lost has increased, with HMPPS taking 939 cells (54%) out of use in the last three years. Based on recent trends, HMPPS expected to lose a further 500 places annually owing to the scale of disrepair.17
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Ta rget implementation date: January 2021 1.2 The department will write to the Committee in January 2021 to update them on the department’s plans for prison building and the broad scope of the strategy including how it intends to cover issues such as maintenance and overcrowding. It then proposes to consult with the Committee and others in early 2021 before publishing a comprehensive strategy in summer 2021.