Prison education cuts driving drug use, self-harm and violence, says watchdog

Charlie Taylor, the prisons inspector, also said the authorities must keep a ‘close eye’ on the impending release of thousands of prisoners in the autumn. Photograph: Jeff Morgan/Alamy View image in fullscreen Charlie Taylor, the prisons inspector, also said the authorities must keep a ‘close eye’ on the impending release of thousands of prisoners in the autumn. Photograph: Jeff Morgan/Alamy Prison education cuts driving drug use, self-harm and violence, says watchdog Report by HM inspector of prisons for England and Wales comes as spending on frontline education falls by up to 50% “Brutal” cuts to prison education and training by Labour ministers are leading to an increase in drug use, self-harm and violence, a watchdog’s withering final annual report has said. Charlie Taylor, who steps down as HM inspector of prisons for England and Wales in the autumn after six years, has also warned the authorities must keep a “close eye” on the impending release of thousands of prisoners later this year. His warnings come after some prisons cut frontline spending on education by up to 50%, despite promises from Keir Starmer to improve “access to learning” in his general election manifesto. Taylor, whose tenure in the job ends in October, said long lock-up times and poor regimes have barely improved since he first began the role during the pandemic. “During my time as chief inspector of prisons I have had the privilege of seeing what is possible under the leadership of some outstanding governors. “Sadly, this year a lack of regular, purposeful activity for prisoners has been a key factor in a concerning rise in drug use and violence, as well as continued high rates of self-harm. Attempts to stop prison drone drug deliveries hampered by crumbling Victorian walls Read more “At a cost of £59,000 a year for each prison place, the taxpayer has the right to expect more for their money.” Education and training cuts are driving despair and boredom, which in turn is leading to increased drug use and violence, he told reporters. “In one particular jail I can think of, there was something like 22 teachers and that went down to nine. So these are real cuts in particular jails to the level of provision. “And it’s some basic services that are unfortunately being cut. We know, for example, that many prisoners can’t read properly. We know that some of them don’t have the very basic maths and numeracy that they need in order to be able to be successful when they come out … Since the pandemic, things have got worse,” he said. The public could be at increased risk when thousands of short-term prisoners are released under the provisions of the Sentencing Act, he said. “Public protection arrangements are not as good as we would want to see. Liaison between services within the prison and within the community are not as good as we want to see. “A lot of prisoners are going to be going out from jails in September, October, November. And we will watch very closely what the effect of