Latest news with #prisonSafety
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Ghislaine Maxwell fears for her life behind bars as Epstein drama haunts White House
Ghislaine Maxwell 's brother said the convicted sex offender believes she's at 'great risk' after Donald Trump 's FBI and DOJ claimed the billionaire pedophile killed himself. Last week, revealed exclusively that Epstein's long-time girlfriend and right-hand woman Maxwell, 63, is willing to speak in front of Congress about The Epstein Files. Now, her brother Ian is revealing her sister's frame of mine in the wake of the botched release of the files. Ian Maxwell communicates regularly with her sister in jail on the phone and told The Times she fears for her safety. 'Prisons are very dangerous places and we know from Ghislaine that there are serious staff shortages and more dangerous higher-risk-category prisoners now being admitted to … Tallahassee,' said Maxwell. 'For sure she remains at great, if not greater, risk and has expressed her real concerns about this to me.' He also said his older sister believes that Epstein may have been murdered, contradicting the DOJ and FBI's belief in the official theory that he committed suicide. 'There were certainly a number of convicted murderers on the wing in [Metropolitan Correctional Center] New York where Epstein died,' Maxwell said. 'The contemporaneous investigation of Epstein's death was cut short, cursory and frankly shoddy, certainly as regards the duty guards' story the night he died. At least one distinguished, independent forensic pathologist concurred with the Epstein family-appointed pathologist that homicide was more likely than suicide,' he added. He added that the pathologist from the New York Medical Examiner's office never examined the body. 'I think despite the DOJ memo concluding that Epstein died by suicide, there must remain serious doubts and the jury remains out about that.' Ian Maxwell's take was that President Trump and others would be 'pleased' by the suicide verdict. 'The principal casualties here are truth and justice and my sister's freedom,' he said. 'That's the reality and it should make all right-thinking people seethe with anger. We remain ever hopeful that the truth of the 'hoax', as President Trump now refers to it, comes out.' Ian Maxwell also 'welcomes total discourse' and the complete public release of the FBI files. Maxwell, 63, is the only person behind bars - serving 20 years on child sex trafficking charges - despite the fact that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein allegedly controlled a web of underage girls. Additionally, Epstein's victims alleged they were passed around as sex toys to his wealthy friends and billionaire business associates who regularly visited his homes including his private island, Little Saint James. Now a source said: 'Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story. 'No-one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows. She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth.' What that 'truth' is remains to be seen. Maxwell was convicted in 2022 over her role in a scheme to sexual exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Epstein over the course of a decade. Maxwell argues she should have been protected from prosecution as part of a Non Prosecution Agreement made by Epstein - her former lover and boss - in 2007 when he agreed to plead guilty to two minor charges of prostitution in a 'sweetheart deal' which saw him spend little time behind bars. And now, controversy continues to rage over the Department of Justice's statement that there is no Epstein 'client list' and the release of videos from inside New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center which the DOJ says proves he committed suicide in 2019 while being held in jail on sex trafficking charges. Critics have pointed to the fact that there is a crucial minute missing from the jail house video that also does not show the door or, indeed, the inside of Epstein's jail cell. The scandal - and alleged 'cover up' - has prompted a rebellion amongst President Trump's loyal MAGA base. Some even believe Attorney General Pam Bondi should be fired after promising to release all files relating to Epstein and his high-profile male friends only to apparently renege on that promise. On Saturday night, President Trump posted a rebuttal to accusations of a cover-up on social media site Truth Social saying: 'For years, it's Epstein, over and over again. Why are we not giving publicity to files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan and the losers and criminals of the Biden administration?' The Epstein 'cover-up' was also a main topic of conversation among attendees of this weekend's Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA , an organization many credit with rallying Trump's young base before last year's presidential election. Sharon Allen, an attendee, told NBC News: 'It's not even about Pam Bondi to me. It's like, look, Trump, we elected you because you were supposed to be different. So you have to prove to us you're different.' A source close to Maxwell told Daily Mail that the former girlfriend of Epstein - who continues to protest her innocence - would 'welcome the chance to sit in front of Congress and tell her story'. The source said: 'Congressional hearings have been held into everything from JFK's assassination to 9/11. The Epstein Files rank up there with those cases. Ghislaine would be willing to speak before Congress and tell her story.' Maxwell is also fighting to have her appeal heard by the Supreme Court. On July 14, lawyers for the US government will submit their response to her plea for the Supreme Court to take up her case. President Trump's former 'First Buddy' Elon Musk sensationally claimed there is a cover-up because Trump is mentioned in the Epstein Files, something sources close to Maxwell say 'is a false flag.' 'President Trump was photographed with Epstein several times and they ran in the same circles but Trump was one of the first to break all contact with Epstein because they fell out over a business deal and Epstein's treatment of women,' the informed source said. 'There are no big shocks about President Trump in the Epstein Files. But there are a lot of powerful men involved and a lot of money and it will come down to following the money. The Department of Justice has said no-one else is likely to be prosecuted in relation to the Epstein case, including Britain's Prince Andrew who was accused by Virginia Giuffre, of allegedly sleeping with her when she was 17 and underage. Prince Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied all charges against him and settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre with no admission of wrongdoing.
The Guardian
17-06-2025
- The Guardian
Hanging points death toll ‘unacceptable', attorney general Michelle Rowland says, urging states to review practices
Michelle Rowland has described the 'unacceptable' death toll linked to the continued presence of hanging points in Australian jails as 'deeply concerning' and told state and territory governments to 'review their practices'. The attorney general has also signalled she will push for accelerated justice reforms during upcoming meetings with her state and territory counterparts at the Standing Council of Attorneys-General forum. 'Every death in custody is a tragedy and the unacceptable number of deaths in custody caused by hanging points is deeply concerning,' a spokesperson for Rowland said. 'The attorney general strongly encourages state and territory governments to review their practices and continue to work toward effective solutions that ensure the safety and dignity of all Australians in the justice system.' A Guardian Australia investigation last week revealed 57 inmates have died in 19 separate prisons using hanging points that authorities knew about but failed to remove, often despite repeated suicides and stark warnings from coroners. At the Arthur Gorrie prison in Brisbane, the same ligature point – a set of exposed bars contained in older-style cells – has been used in 10 separate hanging deaths between 2001 and 2020, despite warnings to the state government as early as 2007 that it 'immediately' fund the removal of the bars. In one of those deaths in 2010, an inmate was sent into a cell containing the bars despite previously telling prison authorities that he had thought of using them to die by suicide, according to coronial findings. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Similar failures were replicated across the state. At the Borallon prison, an inmate hanged himself from a similar set of exposed bars in 2011, five years after the Queensland government was told to 'immediately cover with mesh any bars accessible to prisoners in cells'. At the Townsville prison, two inmates hanged themselves from exposed bars a decade after the government was told to 'immediately' act on hanging points, 'including bars'. The situation was replicated in almost every state in the country. In New South Wales, the Guardian found 20 hangings from ligature points that were known to authorities but not removed. Another 14 deaths were identified in South Australia and seven in Western Australia. The failings have prompted urgent calls from experts and families of the dead for action, including on removing obvious hanging points, but also to improve mental health service delivery to jails. Most of the cases identified by the Guardian revealed failures in mental health treatment, risk assessment, cell placement or information sharing, including the death of Gavin Ellis, who died at Sydney's Silverwater prison complex in 2017. Ellis had a longstanding psychotic illness and had attempted to hang himself twice in his first three days of custody. Despite this, he was not seen by a mental health clinician for eight days, was not reviewed by a psychiatrist for six weeks, and was then sent into a cell with a ligature point that had been used by another inmate in the same unit of the prison two years earlier. 'The system does not have capital punishment, yet it leaves hanging points for inmates to use,' his mother, Cheryl Ellis, told the Guardian. State governments all said they were taking the issues of hanging points seriously, and had conducted long-term programs to make cells safe, as well as investing in better mental health assessment and treatment. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Hanging deaths disproportionately affect Indigenous Australians, owing largely to the failure to decrease their overrepresentation in prison populations. In 2023, First Nations Australians accounted for 33% of the country's prison population – a record high – but just 3% of the overall population. On Tuesday, the former Labor senator Pat Dodson described the death toll using known ligature points as 'totally unacceptable'. Dodson worked on the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, which in 1991 told state and territory governments to remove hanging points and to enact strategies to reduce the incarceration rate for Indigenous Australians. He joined a group of crossbenchers, including David Pocock, David Shoebridge, Zali Steggall and Lidia Thorpe, in calling for national leadership on the issue. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner, Katie Kiss, said the removal of hanging points from prison cells to reduce self-harm was a 'key recommendation' from the 1991 royal commission. 'The failure to implement this and … other recommendations exacerbates the ongoing national shame that is Aboriginal deaths in custody,' she said. 'The treatment of our people, particularly when it comes to the administration of the justice system, is a deep stain on this country. They are being failed by an oppressive system that continues to deny their rights.' In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support. Other international helplines can be found at
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Patrick Dodson condemns decades of inaction on suicide hanging points in Australian prisons
The former Labor senator and Aboriginal deaths in custody royal commissioner Patrick Dodson has condemned inaction on known hanging points as 'totally unacceptable' and joined calls for national leadership on justice reform. Guardian Australia revealed last week that 57 Australians had died using hanging points that prison authorities knew about but failed to remove, often despite their use in repeated suicides and explicit warnings from coroners. Dodson, a Yawuru elder often referred to as the 'father of reconciliation', was one of the royal commissioners who worked on the 1991 Aboriginal deaths in custody royal commission. That royal commission told state governments to remove obvious hanging points from their prisons, a recommendation that was universally accepted. Despite this, Guardian Australia has revealed how obvious hanging points have been allowed to remain in prisons like Brisbane's Arthur Gorrie, where 10 hanging deaths occurred using the same type of exposed bars between 2001 and 2020, despite repeated, early coronial warnings that they be removed. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Even at the relatively new Darwin Correctional Centre, which opened in 2014, more than 20 years after the royal commission, cells were designed with an obvious and well-known hanging point, which was used in two hanging deaths in its first two full years of operation. The hanging point was not fully removed from cells until 2020. 'It's totally unacceptable and this is where people need to be empowered and take action against those agencies based on their duty of care,' Dodson told Guardian Australia. 'They have a duty of care. They've been told 30 years ago to get rid of these things.' Indigenous Australians remain vastly overrepresented in prison populations and hundreds have died in custody – 101 of those by hanging – since the 1991 royal commission. Official data shows the rate of Aboriginal hanging deaths is at a 17-year high, correlating with Australia's surging prisoner population. Guardian Australia revealed last week that in 2020, after the hanging death of young Indigenous man Tane Chatfield, the New South Wales government told a coroner it had audited Tamworth prison for hanging points but could find none. An independent inspection of Tamworth prison less than 12 months later found 'multiple hanging points' including some that had been purportedly removed. Guardian Australia asked every state government what has been done to address the problem. You can read their responses in full here. Dodson said the federal government, through the standing council of attorneys general, should take a national leadership approach on reforms that reduce Indigenous incarceration rates and reduce deaths in custody, including by removing hanging points. His voice adds to that of a group of crossbenchers, including David Pocock, David Shoebridge, Lidia Thorpe and Zali Steggall, calling for federal leadership on the issue of hanging points after the Guardian's investigation. Dodson said the federal government should establish a national Aboriginal justice commission to progress nationally coordinated reforms and ensure state governments are responding the recommendations of the 1991 royal commission, many of which remain unmet. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion He said the attorney general, Michelle Rowland, should ensure the issue is listed on the next agenda of the standing council of attorneys-general. 'The other thing that the attorney general should be doing is convening a group of the Aboriginal leadership in this space to discuss, have a discussion with them about the need for [an Aboriginal justice commission] and its importance,' he said. 'I think we need a structure, otherwise, where does it end, you know?' The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner, Katie Kiss, said that the removal of hanging points from prison cells to reduce self-harm was a 'key recommendation' from the 1991 royal commission 'The failure to implement this – and all other – recommendations exacerbates the ongoing national shame that is Aboriginal deaths in custody,' she said. 'The treatment of our people, particularly when it comes to the administration of the justice system, is a deep stain on this country. They are being failed by an oppressive system that continues to deny their rights.' Kiss said 'immediate, tangible steps' must be taken to ensure that incarceration is a last resort, including investment in preventive measures to stop people from being detained in the first place and to ensure their safety and wellbeing if they are detained. 'We need to end this cycle of abuse, injustice, and trauma. In many cases, duty of care is not being administered – from the point of arrest, within police custody, in prisons, and detention facilities,' she said. 'People's lives are at stake and their human rights must be upheld.' A spokesperson for Rowland said any death in custody was a tragedy. The spokesperson said the attorney-general was working with her state and territory counterparts to 'accelerate progress on justice targets and achieve government commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap'. 'The Attorney-General strongly encourages state and territory governments to review their practices and continue to work toward effective solutions that ensure the safety and dignity of all Australians in the justice system,' the spokesperson said. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. Other international helplines can be found at
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Prison safety a 'total disgrace', home secretary admits after Southport killer 'attacks prison officer with boiling water'
Prison safety is a 'total disgrace,' the home secretary has admitted after the Southport triple killer allegedly attacked a prison officer. Supervision of Axel Rudakubana, 18, was reportedly downgraded just before he used a kettle in his cell to boil water which he then launched over the officer at HMP Belmarsh on Thursday. It comes just weeks after Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi attacked three prison officers at HMP Frankland by stabbing them with homemade weapons and throwing hot cooking oil on them. The attacks have led to calls for Britain's most dangerous inmates to be housed in US-style 'supermax' conditions with no contact with other prisoners or access to kettles and cooking facilities. Home secretary Yvette Cooper agreed there was a 'crisis in our prisons.' '[The attack was] a total disgrace,' she told LBC Radio. 'Prison officers do a very difficult job and they deserve to be kept safe and have our support, and so we are taking these incidents very seriously.' Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick posted a video in which he said he had warned about the safety of prison officers and called for the Government to 'get a grip' before a staff member is killed. Ms Cooper responded: 'There is a crisis in our prisons that was created by the Conservative government, so the idea that we should take seriously anything that any of those former ministers say about the prison system that they left in total crisis…they really need to take some responsibility and start apologising for it.' Home secretary Yvette Cooper said there was a 'crisis in our prisons' and the attack was a 'total disgrace.' The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales has reached its highest level in a decade, according to Ministry of Justice data. More than 10,000 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. Chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, Mark Fairhurst, called for 'supermax' facilities to house dangerous inmates like Rudakubana and Abedi. 'For the most violent, dangerous criminals who are intent on committing atrocities and attacking staff, the time has come for control and containment,' he said. 'This cohort of prisoners should not enjoy the same privileges and freedoms as those who do conform. 'Super-max is your basic entitlements nothing more. 'You would be cuffed every time you are unlocked [from your cell] and escorted by three staff. The gym consists of a rowing machine on the landing. And there are no possessions allowed in a cell apart from a radio and a book to read.' The only federal supermax prison in the US is ADX Florence in Colorado, nicknamed the Alcatraz of the Rockies, and currently home to British terrorists including Abu Hamza and ISIS 'Beatles' Alex Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh. Former prison governor and extremism adviser Ian Acheson said there was no rule that mandated Rudakubana to be allowed a kettle in his cell. 'This process seems to have fallen apart at HMP Belmarsh and other high security prisons where the rights of prisoners take precedence over safety of staff and a naive assumption that giving them things including potentially lethal weapons will appease them,' he added. 'The tail wags the dog, and officers are hospitalised as a consequence. It's no wonder new officers join and leave such a dangerous environment with increasing rapidity.' Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January for the murders of three girls and attempted murders of eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. The Sun reported that his prison supervision was downgraded in recent weeks as he was previously in a healthcare unit being monitored round the clock. In response to the rise in attacks, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood previously announced that the use of tasers will be trialled in prisons and confirmed the Prison Service will conduct a 'snap review' of the use of protective body armour for prison officers.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Dangerous prisoners ‘should not have right to kettles in cells'
Dangerous prisoners should not be given the right to keep kettles in their cells, campaigners have said in the wake of a reported attack by the Southport killer on a prison officer. Axel Rudakubana is believed to have thrown boiling water over an officer at HMP Belmarsh on Thursday in an alleged attack that is being investigated by police. The reported incident has renewed concerns about the safety of prison officers, following an attack last month by Hashem Abedi, the Manchester Arena bomber, at another prison. Abedi attacked three prison officers at HMP Frankland by throwing hot cooking oil and using 'home made weapons' to stab them, according to the Prison Officers' Association. There have now been calls for much tighter rules on whether dangerous inmates should have access to their own kettles, as appears to have been the case with Rudakubana. Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and former government adviser on extremism, said on Saturday: 'There is no 'rule' that mandated this. The ombudsman has no authority to mandate anything. 'Decisions about what is held in possession in a cell is at the discretion of governors, who should be applying dynamic risk assessments to control any potential harm based on previous or reasonably anticipated behaviour. 'This process seems to have fallen apart at HMP Belmarsh and other high security prisons where the rights of prisoners take precedence over safety of staff and a naive assumption that giving them things including potentially lethal weapons will appease them. 'The tail wags the dog, and officers are hospitalised as a consequence. It's no wonder new officers join and leave such a dangerous environment with increasing rapidity.' Mark Fairhurst, the chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, said: 'I am calling for supermax facilities in our prisons, so that extremely violent offenders who pose a significant risk to staff can be controlled and contained. We cannot accept any risk to staff from criminals who are determined to carry on with their atrocities.' Mr Fairhurst has previously called for a far tougher regime for dangerous prisoners in the UK, stating: 'We need a supermax regime. We model it on the US. We isolate them. They don't associate with other prisoners, they get the basic entitlements and they are cuffed every time they are unlocked. That would be for those who meet the criteria for a separation.' He has also called for a ban on kitchen facilities in separation units and for stab vests and tasers to be issued to prison officers. Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors' Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that prison officers did 'an incredibly difficult job' in 'overcrowded conditions'. Although it remains unclear how Rudakubana reportedly got hold of the hot water, Mr Wheatley said it was 'lower risk' to allow prisoners to boil water in their rooms than have officers bring hot water to prisoners' cells. 'Prisoners have used all sorts of things to cause injury to other people,' he added. 'Pretty much anything can be utilised to cause harm to somebody else. What we're really concerned about is the intent of people to do so.' Following the Belmarsh attack, the prison officer was taken to nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich as a precaution and is expected to return to work next week. The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded last year, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. On Friday, Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, posted on X that prison violence had become a 'full-blown crisis' and called for Shabana Mahmood. the Justice Secretary, to act 'now'. Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in January after killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 last year. A public inquiry into the Southport murders began in April. In February, the Attorney General rejected calls for the Court of Appeal to review the length of Rudakubana's jail sentence. Rudakubana's minimum term of 52 years means he cannot be considered for release until he has served that amount of time in prison. Sir Nicholas Dakin, the justice minister, told Parliament in December that small travel kettles had been allowed to be in prisoners' possession for many years but could be removed following a risk assessment. He said: 'If a specific risk is identified in relation to use of a kettle, or intelligence is received that one may be used in an assault, the kettle will be withdrawn until it is assessed that it is safe to return it.' The Prison Service said: 'Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh. Violence in prison will not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hard-working staff.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
