Latest news with #prisonwatchdog
Sky News
08-07-2025
- Sky News
'A threat to national security': Fears drones could be used to lift inmates out of prisons
Sophisticated drones sending "overwhelming amounts" of drugs and weapons into prisons represent a threat to national security, according to an annual inspection report by the prisons watchdog. HMP chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has warned criminal gangs are targeting jails and making huge profits selling contraband to a "vulnerable and bored" prison population. The watchdog boss reiterated his concerns about drones making regular deliveries to two Category A jails, HMP Long Lartin and HMP Manchester, which hold "the most dangerous men in the country", including terrorists. 2:28 Mr Taylor said "the police and prison service have in effect ceded the airspace" above these two high-security prisons, which he said was compromising the "safety of staff, prisoners, and ultimately that of the public". "The possibility now whereby we're seeing packages of up to 10kg brought in by serious organised crime means that in some prisons there is now a menu of drugs available," he said. "Anything from steroids to cannabis, to things like spice and cocaine." "Drone technology is moving fast... there is a level of risk that's posed by drones that I think is different from what we've seen in the past," warned the chief inspector - who also said there's a "theoretical risk" that a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone. He urged the prison service to "get a grip" of the issue, stating: "We'd like to see the government, security services, coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn't materialise." The report makes clear that physical security - such as netting, windows and CCTV - is "inadequate" in some jails, including Manchester, with "inexperienced staff" being "manipulated". Mr Taylor said there are "basic" measures which could help prevent the use of drones, such as mowing the lawn, "so we don't get packages disguised as things like astro turf". Responding to the report, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) said: "The ready access to drugs is deeply worrying and is undermining efforts to create places of rehabilitation." Mr Taylor's report found that overcrowding continues to be what he described as a "major issue", with increasing levels of violence against staff and between prisoners, combined with a lack of purposeful activity. Some 20% of adult men responding to prisoner surveys said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, increasing to 30% in the high security estate. Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "This report is a checklist for all the reasons the government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently. "Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives." 0:51 The report comes after the government pledged to accept most of the recommendations proposed in the independent review of sentencing policy, with the aim of freeing up around 9,500 spaces. Those measures won't come into effect until spring 2026. Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said Mr Taylor's findings show "the scale of the crisis" the government "inherited", with "prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence". He said: "After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we're building 14,000 extra - with 2,400 already delivered - and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again.
Sky News
08-07-2025
- Sky News
Drones are sending 'overwhelming amounts' of drugs into prisons - and could help inmates escape, report warns
Sophisticated drones sending "overwhelming amounts" of drugs and weapons into prisons represent a threat to national security, according to an annual inspection report by the prisons watchdog. HMP chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has warned criminal gangs are targeting jails and making huge profits selling contraband to a "vulnerable and bored" prison population. The watchdog boss reiterated his concerns about drones making regular deliveries to two Category A jails, HMP Long Lartin and HMP Manchester, which hold "the most dangerous men in the country", including terrorists. 2:28 Mr Taylor said "the police and prison service have in effect ceded the airspace" above these two high-security prisons, which he said was compromising the "safety of staff, prisoners, and ultimately that of the public". "The possibility now whereby we're seeing packages of up to 10kg brought in by serious organised crime means that in some prisons there is now a menu of drugs available," he said. "Anything from steroids to cannabis, to things like spice and cocaine." "Drone technology is moving fast... there is a level of risk that's posed by drones that I think is different from what we've seen in the past," warned the chief inspector - who also said there's a "theoretical risk" that a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone. He urged the prison service to "get a grip" of the issue, stating: "We'd like to see the government, security services, coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn't materialise." The report makes clear that physical security - such as netting, windows and CCTV - is "inadequate" in some jails, including Manchester, with "inexperienced staff" being "manipulated". Mr Taylor said there are "basic" measures which could help prevent the use of drones, such as mowing the lawn, "so we don't get packages disguised as things like astro turf". Responding to the report, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) said: "The ready access to drugs is deeply worrying and is undermining efforts to create places of rehabilitation." Mr Taylor's report found that overcrowding continues to be what he described as a "major issue", with increasing levels of violence against staff and between prisoners, combined with a lack of purposeful activity. Some 20% of adult men responding to prisoner surveys said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, increasing to 30% in the high security estate. Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "This report is a checklist for all the reasons the government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently. "Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives." 0:51 The report comes after the government pledged to accept most of the recommendations proposed in the independent review of sentencing policy, with the aim of freeing up around 9,500 spaces. Those measures won't come into effect until spring 2026. Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said Mr Taylor's findings show "the scale of the crisis" the government "inherited", with "prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence". He said: "After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we're building 14,000 extra - with 2,400 already delivered - and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
France's prison population reaches record high
France's prison population has reached a record high of more than 80,000 inmates amid a government drive for fast-track justice. Over the past year, the number of people incarcerated grew by 6,000, taking the occupancy rate to 133.7 per cent. France now has 83,681 inmates held in facilities that have a total capacity of just 62,570. That figure is around 30 per cent worse than in England and Wales, where there are 88,000 prisoners and 89,000 places, figures last month showed. The record overcrowding has seen 23 out of France's 186 detention facilities operating at more than twice their capacity, forcing some prisoners to sleep on mattresses on the floor. The policy of fast-track justice in Emmanuel Macron's government, where prosecutors can bring a person to trial soon after being taken into custody, has been blamed for the situation. These immediate hearings mean more people can be sentenced in a shorter amount of time, funnelling people into prison at a faster rate. In 90 per cent of these cases, the outcome of these fast-track hearings is detention, whether pre-trial or to serve out a sentence, according to Dominique Simonnot, the head of a prison watchdog group in France. France now sits behind Cyprus as the second worst country in the European Union for prison overcrowding, according to latest statistics. Separate data published by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, found that the highest overcrowding was observed in Cyprus, with an occupancy rate of 226.2, France at 122.9, and Italy at 119.1. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, a hardline figure in Mr Macron's cabinet, unveiled proposals last month to house the country's most dangerous prisoners in French Guiana - an overseas territory situated north of Brazil - to try and accommodate the overflow. Prison overcrowding is 'bad for absolutely everyone,' Mr Darmanin said in late April, citing the 'appalling conditions' for prisoners and 'the insecurity and violence' faced by prison officers. That same month, 10 French prisons, from Paris to Marseille in the south, were hit by coordinated attacks in response to government attempts to tackle drug trafficking. In the space of two days arsonists set fires to parked cars, many belonging to prison staff, outside jails in Villepinte, Nanterre, Aix-Luynes and Valence, while the entrance to one prison in Toulon was sprayed with more than a dozen bullets from an automatic weapon. No injuries were reported. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Le Parisien newspaper reported that vandalised cars were found tagged with the letters DDPF, which stands for Defending the Rights of French Prisoners. A law currently going through the French parliament would also create a special prosecutor's office to deal with narcotics crimes and give new powers to investigators. 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.
Telegraph
31-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
France's prison population reaches record high
France's prison population has reached a record high of more than 80,000 inmates amid a government drive for fast-track justice. Over the past year, the number of people incarcerated grew by 6,000, taking the occupancy rate to 133.7 per cent. France now has 83,681 inmates held in facilities that have a total capacity of just 62,570. That figure is around 30 per cent worse than in England and Wales, where there are 88,000 prisoners and 89,000 places, figures last month showed. The record overcrowding has seen 23 out of France's 186 detention facilities operating at more than twice their capacity, forcing some prisoners to sleep on mattresses on the floor. The policy of fast-track justice in Emmanuel Macron 's government, where prosecutors can bring a person to trial soon after being taken into custody, has been blamed for the situation. These immediate hearings mean more people can be sentenced in a shorter amount of time, funnelling people into prison at a faster rate. In 90 per cent of these cases, the outcome of these fast-track hearings is detention, whether pre-trial or to serve out a sentence, according to Dominique Simonnot, the head of a prison watchdog group in France. France now sits behind Cyprus as the second worst country in the European Union for prison overcrowding, according to latest statistics. Separate data published by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, found that the highest overcrowding was observed in Cyprus, with an occupancy rate of 226.2, France at 122.9, and Italy at 119.1. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, a hardline figure in Mr Macron's cabinet, unveiled proposals last month to house the country's most dangerous prisoners in French Guiana - an overseas territory situated north of Brazil - to try and accommodate the overflow. Prison attacks Prison overcrowding is 'bad for absolutely everyone,' Mr Darmanin said in late April, citing the 'appalling conditions' for prisoners and 'the insecurity and violence' faced by prison officers. That same month, 10 French prisons, from Paris to Marseille in the south, were hit by coordinated attacks in response to government attempts to tackle drug trafficking. In the space of two days arsonists set fires to parked cars, many belonging to prison staff, outside jails in Villepinte, Nanterre, Aix-Luynes and Valence, while the entrance to one prison in Toulon was sprayed with more than a dozen bullets from an automatic weapon. No injuries were reported. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Le Parisien newspaper reported that vandalised cars were found tagged with the letters DDPF, which stands for Defending the Rights of French Prisoners. A law currently going through the French parliament would also create a special prosecutor's office to deal with narcotics crimes and give new powers to investigators.
