Ministers’ whole policy is said to seek to contain infection however the lords are debating that the Ministers communication and action is poor. Prisoners are literally been left to die. Will the army be Necessary for the task

 Prisoner Uses Smuggled Cellphone to Beg for Help With Coronavirus on Facebook Live

Prisoners are warning will be fighting for our health, our life!

That we will be banging on the doors of our cells until we are listened too. 27th April 2020 for 3 weeks. "Shouting out,  HELP US!,

They literally leaving us in here to die,"  
soon the exercise yard  will have  tents  set up to store the bodies of those who have died from COVID-19.

On the 9th of March, two weeks before the UK went into coronavirus lock down, a magistrate remanded one man to prison on suspicion of committing a crime. By the time the man in his fifties, Jason,* entered Pentonville prison that evening, the UK was dealing with 319 cases of coronavirus, which the chief medical adviser warned was spreading "really quite fast".

They literally leaving us in here to die," soon the exercise yard  will have  tents  set up to store the bodies of those who have  died from COVID-19. Futher it is felt the coronavirus is being under- reported due to diffrent computer system.

Each day there is  daily government Media updates & debates on Covid but why are the front line Prison staff , Prisoners and figures not being mention in these debates? Is there not anyone out there to speak up for us.

While citizens are now being advised to self-isolate and avoid mass gatherings, individuals currently serving custodial prison sentences find themselves in an even stranger set of circumstances than usual. A report from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has warned that prisons are the perfect petri-dishes for the disease to spread, and more than 300 coronavirus case in a UK prison was confirmed.

With the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak escalating on an daily basis, the atmosphere inside tangibly on edge.But what about the apparent lack of hygiene inside, won’t this make it more likely that if one person gets infected it will spread quickly?

cramped quarters inside, make it impossible to practice social distancing.

IPP prisoners alike are resorting to defecating in buckets, and families fear for their safety, as the prison system struggles to cope with the strain of the pandemic.The cramped quarters inside, make it impossible to practice social distancing.

They literally leaving us in here to die," 

IPP prisoners alike are resorting to defecating in buckets, and families fear for their safety, as the prison system struggles to cope with the strain of the pandemic.

On the 9th of March, two weeks before the UK went into coronavirus lockdown, a magistrate remanded a man to prison on suspicion of committing burglary. By the time the man in his fifties, Jason,* entered Pentonville prison that evening, the UK was dealing with 319 cases of coronavirus, which the chief medical adviser warned was spreading "really quite fast". 

Jason was classed as a "red band" or trusted prisoner, and put to work deep-cleaning Pentonville to guard against the virus. On the 25th of March, Jason's cellmate started coughing, turning red from the exertion. Jason alerted prison staff, but they didn't separate the cellmates until two days later, by which point Jason was also sick. Pentonville staff moved them to separate cells on J-wing, which was full of suspected cases of coronavirus. 

Jason is an asthmatic with underlying heart and lung problems. Two days before he was isolated, he had asked prison staff for his prescription inhaler as his old one had run out, but was told a replacement wasn't due until the 9th of April. Lying in his cell on J-wing, Jason struggled for breath – a prison nurse had told him he didn't have much air capacity, but when he begged a prison officer again for his inhaler he was told: "Fuck off, it's not a hotel."

"I felt scared, because my lungs aren't good anyway, and I had the symptoms of coronavirus," Jason says. "I was frightened because coronavirus attacks the lungs, and I couldn't breathe, and I needed my inhaler."

 "Once you have suspected coronavirus, they're frightened"

After six days of this, following a complaint Jason's partner made to NHS England, a member of the healthcare staff came into his cell and threw him an inhaler, the same way prison officers had been throwing him his evening bag of food.

"The whole thing, the way they treated us, is fear-based," Jason says. "Once you're on that wing, once you have suspected coronavirus, they're frightened – two officers died… They don't want to talk to you, they just want you to shut up, be in there and get well or die."

On the 9th of April, after two weeks in isolation, Jason was moved to a bigger wing that Pentonville was using for suspected coronavirus patients. The electricity was off and there was no phone in his cell, so Jason couldn't call his partner, who had been his lifeline throughout his battle with what he thinks was coronavirus.

Requests to an officer for a phone call went ignored. "I just felt despair," Jason says. "Because I tried to talk to him and he just wouldn't have it." That evening, Jason attempted to hang himself but was found and cut down by an officer. The next day, Pentonville returned him to "general population", where the majority of prisoners are. Despite repeated requests, officers on general population didn't give Jason his antidepressants, telling him he'd have to wait until the next day. On the 14th of April, due to his partner's ceaseless efforts, a judge released Jason on bail. 

"It's been hard, really hard, to readjust," Jason says. "All of a sudden I've got all this space and no one being horrible to me, and someone being nice to me, and I can't take that sometimes." Jason and his partner are now preparing for his trial in June, and Jason is clear that he feels remorse for what he has done. "Just because I'm guilty," he adds, "doesn’t mean I should be dehumanised."

As Liberty Investigates has found, the coronavirus pandemic poses a unique threat to the UK's overcrowded prison estate. Crumbling infrastructure and staff shortages have made it difficult to keep prisoners apart or put everyone in single-cell accommodation. Prisoners say they have not been issued with basic sanitation supplies, while staff walk around without adequate PPE. Most of the closed prison estate is now operating on a 23.5-hour lockdown, something usually seen in the case of riots, which blow over far faster than a viral outbreak. 

For the 30 minutes they have out of their cells, prisoners can usually shower and make a phone call, or exercise. Some say they've been kept locked up for 48 hours at a time, while those without toilets in their cells are resorting to defecating in buckets. As of the 20th of April, 287 prisoners had tested positive for the virus across 65 prisons, as had 217 staff across 54 prisons. 

The Ministry of Justice does not provide figures for individual prisons, but in late March Pentonville told Jason's partner that they were dealing with 19 suspected cases of coronavirus – although Jason says he thinks more prisoners were sick than that. Jason says he and his cellmate were never tested for the virus, and he isn't aware of other tests being done. Pentonville also told Jason's partner that they didn’t have any tests. 

Jason says that although there are good officers in Pentonville, "We were in the dark and we needed to know what was happening. We were making standard queries, but [the officers] got flustered, they just left you in [the isolation cells]. It felt as if we were being punished."

This uncertainty is being felt throughout the prison estate. Families of prisoners say that the restrictive lockdown, coupled with the cancellation of visits, is causing their loved ones stress and anxiety, worsened by their fear of contracting the virus.

Charlotte Henry's brother, Alex Henry, is serving 19 years in HMP Whitemoor under the courts' now-discredited interpretation of joint enterprise. Until the 3rd April, Alex was being asked to shower with other prisoners in a shared stall, despite Whitemoor having at least one suspected case of coronavirus. He chooses to spend his 30 minutes out of his cell speaking to Charlotte and having a shower, although he tells her the phones aren't sanitised between uses and that officers have told prisoners to do it themselves. 

"He was given [15] Dettol wipes two weeks ago by the prison," Charlotte says. "Any other form of soap or detergent he has to buy from his own spend, but the canteen they order from has run out."

The greatest anxiety, from both families and prisoners, centres around prison officers who may inadvertently bring the virus into work. Prisoners say officers are not wearing protective equipment, are not observing social distancing and are not sanitising themselves adequately after interacting with suspected coronavirus cases. Anxiety among prisoners may be increasing. At HMP Manchester, a man with a history of self-harm cut his throat in what he said was a protest at how the institution was responding to coronavirus. After medical treatment, the man recovered.

Across the country, prison officers, for their part, say they feel burned out. A prison officer at one prison – who asked to remain anonymous, as officers are asked to sign confidentiality agreements – said they understood prisoners' fears, but that "it's simply not practical, at all, to socially distance in the spaces that we're trying to work in… There's a lot of stuff that we simply just – we can’t stop searching people's cells, we can't stop doing a lot of the stuff that people [are complaining about]."

The officer adds that their workload has drastically increased since prisoners can only be taken out of their cells in small groups. "A lot of people are feeling an element of burnout," the officer says.

Although officers have been issued goggles, masks, aprons and gloves to wear when working with sick prisoners, they don't wear them around healthy prisoners in case it provokes anxiety or resentment that only the officers have PPE. 

"It is the staff who are bringing [coronavirus] in," the officer says. "Our first few cases were on units where [the prisoners] don't interact with anybody. The people they meet with on a regular basis are the staff… But there's nothing we can do to minimise that contact."

he officer is clear that they are doing all they can to prevent the spread of the virus, but acknowledges the current situation is dangerous for prisoners. A colleague, the officer says, was handcuffed to a prisoner with coronavirus to take them for medical treatment, and then returned to the main prison to continue work.

The officer says not enough is being done to protect staff. They say the prison they work at issued guidance to officers stating that they cannot self-isolate unless they are showing symptoms, despite the possibility of people being infectious before symptoms begin. The officer says that staff who are high risk were asked not to self-isolate. Staff who had already done so, whether to protect themselves or high-risk family members, were told to return to work.

Mark Fairhurst, National Chair of the Prison Officers' Association, says that testing for staff is now available, after the government announced it was increasing testing for frontline workers on the 17th of April. He adds that all prisoners who are showing symptoms of coronavirus should receive testing.

But Fairhurst acknowledged some of the concerns the prison officer expressed. "Staff within prisons are following all Public Health England guidelines on the use of PPE," 

he says. "Although staff would like to routinely wear PPE, especially face masks, they are being informed by both PHE and their managers that this is not necessary as a routine procedure."

The main safety measure prisons have taken is to keep prisoners in their cells for as long as possible, with Whitemoor – where Alex Henry is – implementing a 24-hour lockdown between the 3rd and 10th of April. But lockdown, however sensible, brings its own challenges, particularly for prisons which were already struggling before the pandemic. 

In 2019, the Independent Monitoring Board for Long Lartin, a prison in Worcestershire, wrote that accommodation for around half of the prisoners lacked "running water and sanitation, falling below modern standards of decency". Under lockdown, these sanitation issues have worsened. 

A former prisoner – who asked to remain anonymous, as he is serving the remainder of his sentence in the community and does not want to jeopardise this – said that a friend at HMP Long Lartin told him they are having to push a button to be taken to use the toilet, since they don't have them in their cells. This procedure is normally used in Long Lartin at night, but under lockdown it has become the norm. As a result, some prisoners are having to wait hours to be allowed to relieve themselves. 

They have to use a bucket, if it's an emergency," the source says. "[Without sinks], if they have [bottled] water, it's either a choice between drinking that water or using that water to wash their hands." The situation, the source says, is taking its toll on the prisoner they know. "He feels oppressed... He feels powerless. He's not being given any equipment, any extra sanitation, he's not even got the basics he was getting before. It's really affecting him mentally."

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Prison Service said it is trying to alleviate mental health problems by providing secure phones to prisoners at 55 prisons, which will include access to services such as the Samaritans. The spokesperson also said that support, in the form of in-cell worship, exercise and managing anxiety, will be provided.

The spokesperson added: "We have robust and flexible plans in place [to] keep prisoners, staff and the wider public safe based on the latest advice from Public Health England. Personal protective equipment is being provided to officers, and all prisons have the soap and cleaning materials they need."

Although some prisoners, like Alex Henry, say they need better hygiene options, it has become more difficult for them to make complaints. Due to coronavirus, the Independent Monitoring Boards are having to monitor prisons remotely, with the possibility of limited visits, while the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is unable to deal with complaints escalated to it that have been sent by mail. 

(In a written statement, the Ombudsman said it has made prisoners aware of this through prison radio and in-cell televisions, and that it is still handling complaints left via its voicemail service.) The prison officer Liberty Investigates spoke to added that staff's increased workload means they have less time for paperwork, and so certain things, which might include adding a family member's phone number to a prisoner’s list of approved calls, have started to slip. 

"During these difficult times we have to prioritise essential tasks," Fairhurst says. "It is inevitable that some admin tasks will not be prioritised, but it is vital that, wherever possible, prisoners access showers, phones and exercise in the open air. The most vulnerable will still be assessed and catered for despite regime restrictions."

The government has made some attempts to address the situation in prisons. In early April it said it would give early release to 4,000 low-risk prisoners, although this scheme has now been suspended after six people were mistakenly released. It is due to resume this week. The government has also said it will build 500 temporary cells to get more prisoners into single-cell accommodation, starting with prisons that lack in-cell sanitation, hold a large number of vulnerable prisoners and have the highest number of shared cells.

But Phil Martin, a former prisoner who now campaigns for more offender rehabilitation to reduce reoffending, says these efforts are minimal given the UK's prison population amounts to over 80,000 people. "[The offer to] house 500 prisoners won't make any difference at all," he says. "The officers are too thinly-stretched, they won't be able to get off the wings [to the temporary cells] and give them any sort of meaningful exercise, showers or phone calls or, most importantly, answer alarm calls." (A spokesperson for the Prison Service said the temporary cells "will be monitored by staff, as normal".)

The rest of the UK's prison population is likely to be under lockdown for several weeks yet, prompting concerns about the possible effects. Already, there have been prison riots over coronavirus responses at prisons in the US, Colombia, Iran and Indonesia. But Elliot Murawski, a former prisoner, says there is a bigger issue than riots. Murawski, along with his partner Lisa Selby, runs the Instagram and Twitter accounts @bluebaglife, which detail conditions in UK prisons as well as addiction and mental health issues. He says he is more concerned about what will happen once people's sentences are up.

"People might be quick to say, 'Why should we care about the prisoners in this current crisis, everyone is struggling,' but actually… [if] you treat people a certain way... the majority of prisoners will be released from prison… If they're spending their whole sentence in these conditions, then, inevitably, they're going to carry those hostilities and resentments back out of the gate with them."

Comment 

Biamonti-bello It’s the least resourced that will suffer the most it’s really immoral

wyer Absolutely disgusting..have hears first hand how some officers are treating the lads like they have the plague..not right and not fair

nskip I was told yesterday there letting them out in groups for exercise and not encouraging social distancing , it will be rife soon and many with blood on there hands where is the protection for them no masks or gloves it’s a national disgrace !!!! 

Crowe My son is on a wing where he currently has a job as a cleaner. He has been in the vicinity of an older guy who died yesterday of coronavirus.
I am so worried!

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Covid-19: Prisons and Offender Rehabilitation - Question for Short Debate.– in the HCovid-19: Prisons and Offender Rehabilitation- Question for Short Debate– in theHouse of Lords at 4:32 pm on 23rd April 2020. House of Lords at 4:32 pm.

Lord German Liberal Democrat

My Lords, in this debate the Government have three big questions to answer. First, have they failed in their duty of care to prison staff and prisoners? Secondly, have their actions to date been too little, too late? Thirdly, are the Government’s actions sufficient to safeguard the public from the community spread of coronavirus, and have they adequately ensured that the safety of the public has not been put at risk 

I thank all the organisations that have provided me with supporting evidence to understand these key questions, in particular the Howard League for Penal Reform, the Prison Reform Trust and Women in Prison. I also acknowledge that the Government have limited room for manoeuvre, given the systemic problems over many years in our prison system—problems of overcrowding, maintenance backlogs and inadequate support to prepare people for release.

On my first question, of whether the Government have failed in their duty of care, we have just to look at the statistics on virus transmission to identify the scale of the problem. The first reported coronavirus case in a prison in England and Wales occurred on 18 March. By 1 April there were 88 cases among staff and prisoners. 

By 8 April that number had risen to 177; by 15 April it had risen to 300; and on Tuesday this week it rose again to 534. These figures demonstrate an exponential rise and no sign of a flattening curve. In fact, in the last week alone, the number of cases has risen from 269 to 534. That is six times higher than it was on 1 April. Sadly, prisoners, prison officers and staff have died from coronavirus. I ask the Minister to provide us with the latest details.

Isolation, social distancing, testing and wearing of protective equipment are the actions we would expect to be undertaken by the Government to protect prisoners and staff alike. Our overcrowded prisons make it very difficult to isolate or to develop social distancing. By way of example, Swansea, the most overcrowded prison in England and Wales, is supposed to hold no more than 250 men, but at the end of February it held 436. The Government’s response is to create three cohorts of prisoner and to try to isolate one from the other: those with coronavirus symptoms; those who might have been exposed to the virus or are new to prison; and the vulnerable group to be shielded.

To create the space for this to happen, the Government announced that they would build 2,000 temporary cells. How many of those have now been built and how many are occupied? Also, how many prisoners are currently required to share a cell or sleep in a dormitory? Is the wearing of PPE compulsory for staff? Can the Minister confirm reports of woefully low numbers of available equipment?

For example, in our largest prison, HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, where 60% of the cells are designed to hold two people—built in breach of United Nations minimum standards—social distancing is impossible. I am afraid that the conclusion reached is that, because of a failure of testing, availability of PPE, isolation and social distancing, and the exponential rise in coronavirus cases, our prisons are incubators, pumping the virus and spreading it to the communities both within and outside their walls. For the 17,000 prisoners sharing cells, whether the virus is contracted is truly a terrifying lottery.

On my second question, of whether government actions have been too little, too late, I turn to the Government’s key proposal to reduce the spread of the virus by creating more space in the prison system through the early release of prisoners. 

There is confusion about how many prisoners are to be released: the Government say 4,000, plus pregnant women prisoners, but we are told that Public Health England and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service have recommended a reduction of 15,000 prisoners to properly safeguard both prisoners and staff. Either way, progress has been painfully slow to reach even the lower government target.  

Only 17 of the 70 pregnant women have been released and the end-of-custody temporary release scheme had released only a handful—just four—by 14 April. If that is still the case, it gives us a grand total of 21, nowhere near the 4,000 the Government say and nowhere near the 15,000 the prison service says.

This rate of release is too slow and too late

“to save lives and avoid a public health catastrophe both within prisons and beyond.”

Those are not my words but those of the Secretary of State for Justice announcing the release scheme earlier. 

Has the ECTR scheme been restarted and how many have now been released? Do the Government have sufficient powers to facilitate early release and, if not, why have they not taken them? Meanwhile, new prisoners are being admitted. Can the Minister tell the House how many have been admitted to prison in the last month and how many are being held on remand? All around the globe, countries are releasing prisoners under strict conditions. The Ministry of Justice response falls way below any international comparator and indeed, in the UK, below that of Northern Ireland and probably Scotland.

The scientific advice is quite clear: the risk of infection is much higher in congregate settings such as prisons. The fewer the people in those settings the better. A similar situation applies in immigration detention centres. By definition, these people are not criminals and are certainly vulnerable. So, to my third question: 

is public health adequately safeguarded by the Government’s actions? Prisons are not places of total isolation. Some 50,000 staff and workers enter and leave daily, and goods and services arrive and leave. Prison staff have woefully low numbers of PPE and nearly a quarter of staff are self-isolating at home. The reduced numbers serving the prison population have resulted in lock-ins for 23 hours at a time, often with more than one person in a cell. Testing of staff has only just started, and those tested are a tiny proportion of staff overall. As the expert adviser Professor Coker says:

“Closed environments contribute to secondary transmission of COVID-19 and promote superspreading events. Closed environments are consistent with large-scale COVID-19 transmission events such as that of the ski chalet-associated cluster in France and the church- and hospital-associated clusters in South Korea.”

The Government’s response to the pandemic in respect of the Prison and Probation Service has been inadequate and lacking in urgency. What we have witnessed has been too little and too slow. Urgent action is needed to save lives. In these exceptional circumstances, the Government must accelerate and widen the release scheme, including vulnerable offenders, children and pregnant women. Only then will prisons have the space to isolate and undertake some social distancing. We need a presumption against short-term prison sentences, which do not generally work anyway. The Government have been looking at this very carefully. Sending more people to prison for a short time is a double whammy against beating the pandemic.

The prison estate is now a perfect crucible for the disease. The dangers have been pointed out to the Government, but they appear reticent to act. This has put prisoners and prison staff in danger. The Government have failed in their duty of care and are sleep-walking into a crisis that they must avoid. Prisons were already overstretched and overcrowded before coronavirus. Adding this crisis on top makes it a perfect storm for our Prison and Probation Service. I therefore look forward to the Minister’s response to these problems.

Lord Harris of Haringey Labour 4:43 pm, 23rd April 2020

My Lords, I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak, albeit very briefly, in this debate. I expect that some will be surprised that time is being devoted to this topic, yet what happens in our prisons must not be swept under the carpet and ignored. People in detention are totally dependent on the state for their treatment and care. Article 2 of the ECHR places a special duty on the state to protect those in custody.

Winston Churchill, then the Home Secretary, speaking in the other place 110 years ago said:

“The mood and temper of the public in regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilisation of any country.”—[Official Report, Commons, 20/7/1910; col. 1354.]

Those words set a context for today’s debate.

Six years ago, I conducted a review for the MoJ. Our prisons were grotesquely overcrowded and staffing levels were inadequate. I concluded that prisoners were being kept in grim environments that were bleak and demoralising to the spirit. One can only imagine what it is like now, with permanent lockdown and disease stalking the corridors.

Given the stretched staffing, can the Minister tell us what proportion of prison officers are ill or in quarantine? I understand that, as of Sunday, 278 prisoners had tested positive for Covid-19 across 64 prisons. What are today’s figures? If the Minister does not have them, why not? There is a duty of care there.

How many deaths have there been? What are the numbers of prisoners who have died from respiratory or other illness but were not tested for Covid-19 in the last two months? Are prisoners’ families being informed that their relative has the virus or has symptoms? What steps are being taken to keep worried families informed?

Given the Article 2 obligations and notwithstanding the provisions in the recent Coronavirus Act that Covid-related deaths are not notifiable, will all deaths of prisoners be subject to proper, effective external investigation and scrutiny? I look forward to the noble and learned Lord’s response.

 

The Bishop of Gloucester Bishop 4:49 pm, 23rd April 2020

Lord Ramsbotham Crossbench 4:47 pm, 23rd April 2020

“has advised that powers exist that are considered sufficient for the needs in prisons and for the probation service at this time.”—[Official Report, 24/3/20; col. 1736.

Yet only a week later, the emergency release of 4,000 remand and low-risk prisoners was announced—but nothing was said about probation services.

A number of prisoners have fallen victim to the virus, from which some have tragically died. Like the noble Lord, Lord Harris, I ask the Minister whether families are being kept informed of the well-being of relatives who are suffering. Public Health England experts are said to advise single cell occupancy—to achieve which, the chief executive of HMPPS told the Justice Select Committee on 7 April, would require the release of between 10,000 and 15,000 prisoners. My second question to the Minister is whether single cell occupancy is the Government’s intent.

Lord Farmer Conservative 4:51 pm, 23rd April 2020

 Learning from other government programmes, could the Prison Service not deploy an ongoing test-and-learn approach, rather than waiting for perfection? Safety and functioning can be constantly improved in the current crisis, when time is of the essence. Progress should then help to ensure widespread, business-as-usual use of the technology that we have all rapidly become very accustomed to using.

Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill Labour 4:54 pm, 23rd April 2020

My Lords, the Government must act now and release women in mother and baby units, and pregnant prisoners.

We know how urgent it is to reduce the overcrowded prison population during this pandemic, to prevent the deaths of inmates and staff. Already, inmates and fprison officers have, sadly, died. Hundreds of prisoners and staff have tested positive for Covid-19.

Women on short sentences do not need a risk assessment in this time of national emergency; they just need to be released. More than half have children under 18. What has happened to the promised release scheme for 4,000 prisoners announced on 4 April and then suspended on 18 April? Can the Minister say how many pregnant women prisoners have been released? We know of only 17 so far. Does the Minister know how many babies and toddlers are currently in prison with their mother? Urgent action must be taken to ensure their safety.

Women in prison are also mothers of children in the community who are suffering great anxiety. With schools closed and grandparents self-isolating, they need access to their mother. Yet all visits were stopped on 13 March. How can this Government say that they believe families are the key to rehabilitation? There are not enough phones in cells, despite government claims, for children to contact their mother, and the use of communal phones increases the risk of infection.

Short sentences are increasingly criticised. Now is the time to abandon them, to cease sending more women to prison, "especially on recall, and to ensure that suspended sentences or community orders are the norm.

The Government now have a chance to make a difference: to save more lives, to help the NHS and to allow the Prison Service to concentrate on the rehabilitation of prisoners by implementing the promised early release scheme.

Lord Woolf Crossbench 5:01 pm, 23rd April 2020

My Lords, I also congratulate the noble Lord, Lord German, on this excellent debate. It has given a very clear picture of the tragic situation that exists at the moment in prisons. This month sees the 30th anniversary of the Strangeways report which I made into the prison. I am sad to say that the conditions we talked about, and which have been clearly stated by those who have gone before me in the debate, have not improved at all. It is a disgrace that they have not done so and it was bound to happen that, sooner or later, we would have a combination of intolerable conditions in the prisons, which in itself is a risk to the public.

I shall confine the rest of my time to one matter, which is remand prisoners. These have not been found guilty of any offence. The fact that they are on remand speaks for itself. 

As I understand it, the guidance given to prison governors does not cover remand prisoners, so they are not included. I also refer to one specific case that was brought to my attention and that of the noble Lord, Lord McNally. Like me, he is aware of a father desperately worried about an asthmatic son of 35, who at present has been remanded in custody awaiting extradition to the USA at Wandsworth prison. Conditions are such that they fall within the descriptions we have heard. 

At Christmas 2015, for four days, he removed his daughter from the care of her mother. He recognises and accepts that what he did was wrong and contrary to a court order, but he was lonely and foolish. He was released on bail there, and negotiations took place with him and his father. What they offered was that if he pleaded guilty he could have a sentence of only eight years in prison; that is on top of the time he has spent in custody.

Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick Crossbench

I certainly will, as best I can. I refer to the letter sent to every prisoner by Phil Copple, director-general of prisons, at the beginning of the lockdown. It said that they needed to have forbearance, patience, self-control, restraint and tolerance. He assured them that the Prison Service would look after them with humanity and due dignity.

I made an inquiry of a number of people I know inside the Prison Service to ask how their experience was. I will quote just three. First, this is from a prisoner in Surrey:

“I have been treated poorly throughout the period of the lockdown. I have been provided with no updates as to what the lockdown means other than to remain in my cell until further notice. I have been provided with very limited telephone usage, limited sanitation and no means to cope with prolonged confinement e.g. education.”

This is from another prisoner in Kent:

“No communication or update whatsoever with what’s going on both in/outside of jail. Having 1 hot meal a day at lunchtime and getting a baguette … by 4pm … Basically being told to put up and shut up! I’ve not been seen by no member of healthcare concerning” well-known mental health issues, skin allergies and other physical needs—no medical support of any nature.

This is a final one from a prisoner in Hampshire:

“People with mental health issues are being neglected and deteriorating because of long periods of confinement to cells with no regime.”

This is a massive failure of human dignity, abruptly disregarded. I urge the Minister to respond with dignity.Continued https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2020-04-23a.141.5&s=deaths+in+custody&fbclid=IwAR1MVb0bZYildUqvudE18RmyFF_fTqintiEdlIbktfqyvb7kqy0LoBWPja4

Comments 

Horton

Everyone who contributed (except Lord Blencathra) showed excellent understanding of the real issues faced by prisons and prisoners both in the virus crisis situation AND in more general terms. If only the same level of cross-party support was present in the House of Commons!

 Chapman There is no shortage of understanding from those in very powerful positions, but unfortunately they appear to have no major influence on those who are actually able to bring about the swift changes required, to reassure prisoners and their families that they are being seriously considered when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus in prisons.

 unknown

 I've got the ipp. I was sentenced to 3 half years. I was a model prisoner, completed all my courses with in the first 2 years, I had the best most trusted jobs and I was a listener for nearly all my time inside. I still ended up serving 7 years. I've been out of prison for over 6years, I am in a great relationship and I have a 4year old autistic son. I'm always treading on egg shells, it's like I don't have control of my life because of probation. I did try appealing against it a few years back but the solicitors said they couldn't get any paper work, I'm not sure if they will rid the ipp for good or wether we will be stuck with it for life

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Coronavirus: Prison officer, 33, dies with Covid-19     

A 33-year-old prison officer has died after contracting coronavirus.

Rachael Yates had worked at Usk Prison in Monmouthshire for about 18 months and died on Tuesday after becoming ill with the virus.

Mark Fairhurst, from the Prison Officers' Association said her death "highlights the risk that our brave prison officers face on a daily basis".

Ms Yates is the fourth member of prison staff in the UK to die after catching Covid-19, Mr Fairhurst added.

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Prison Reform Trust submission on Covid-19 to the Justice Committee – 23 April 2020

What we are hearing—rising desperation

 Another week passes, and the inquiries we are receiving are still dominated by two themes—what’s happening (or not) on early release; and the dangerous situation in prisons in relation to infection control. 

 On early release, the numbers involved are pitifully small. We heard from a prisoner at an open prison. Of the 500 plus people held there—all judged to require no physical security in order to protect the public—12 had been identified as potentially eligible for early release. Two had eventually been assessed as suitable, and both were then recalled because of a clerical error. We can only take the prisoner’s word for this—no official figures have been released—but at another, smaller, open prison for women we were also informed that no-one had been released. 

 Like everyone else, we heard on the news that the new scheme had been suspended. At the time of writing there has still been no official communication on its website or anywhere else from the ministry to tell prisoners or families or the charities trying to help the prison service what is going on. 

 So nearly three weeks after the scheme was announced, the people most affected by it have not been told the rules by which it operates or the process involved. It has been suspended without telling them or explaining why. It may or may not have been re-started. It is a staggering failure of communication, not excused by the pressure of the current emergency. Indeed, it simply adds to the pressure as those people reasonably do everything in their power to find out.  

 There is a simple solution, so we repeat that:

 HMPPS should publish its detailed operating instructions for both prisons and probation, so that those affected can understand the detail of what should be happening, and the level of service they should expect.

 On conditions, much of what we are hearing relates to practice that prisoners recognise as contrary to the government’s general instructions on infection control. This extract is typical:

“The prison and the government cannot assure our safety. You would not lock people in a hotel on a beach knowing a tsunami is going to hit…It is not a case of if, it is a case of when. The staff gym is open and a lady from our wing goes Into the gym every day to clean the showers after the staff, without PPE, and another lady is doing biohazard then coming back onto our wing. These are just two examples of where Covid-19 could spread and could be prevented by providing some PPE. xx is the first night centre where new ladies who are coming into the prison go to, xx is also the Covid-19 suspect wing, where they put all the suspected cases. If I, or other ladies I

have spoken to feel we have symptoms of the virus we would choose not to say anything, as this is the place people with symptoms are being sent to, it is horrifying. There has always been a cleaning product shortage for the kitchen and showers but amidst the corona outbreak, this situation has become a lot worse. There are no hand towels, and the showers were cleaned with air fresheners a few days prior to this email being sent. Staff are doing hospital bed watches, and are back on the wing the next day with no PPE.” 

 The government is rightly quick to praise the efforts of many staff on the front line. We would add prisoners to those deserving of praise. We heard this week about a training prison where it was clear that staff and prisoners were working closely together to keep the prison free of the virus if at all possible, with rigorous cleaning and social distancing measures observed by all. But the prison was about to receive transfers in from a local, grossly overcrowded and dilapidated Victorian prison, and was understandably nervous about the likely impact on infection control. 

 This is the impact of too many prisoners in the system. Ministers’ whole policy of seeking to contain infection by “cohorting” is undermined by an overcrowded system, with around 17,000 prisoner sharing cells and the practical impossibility of separating either individuals or groups in a consistent and effective way. Add to the mix the fact that prisoners are not routinely tested for infection, and it is clear that the policy is flawed in a way that is likely to be fatal to some people in the government’s care, both prisoners and staff.

Progress—or the lack of it

 There has still been no progress of which we are aware on improving prisoners’ access to communications. The longer this crisis continues, and it is certain to get worse in prison over the coming weeks, the more important this becomes—exactly as it is for everyone in the community outside prison. But we heard this week, almost as an aside in an official document, that there were no plans to allow incoming calls to in-cell telephones. Having made this request directly to a minister several weeks ago, we were shocked at such a dismissive response, with no evidence that the suggestion (actively solicited by the minister and department) had been given any serious consideration. 

 So we repeat our call to allow incoming calls to in-cell phones, provide generous free pin phone allowances to all prisoners, and facilitate video calls in compassionate and as many other circumstances as possible.

Accountability

 The committee will be aware that, with the Howard League, we have written to the government with a letter before action. That very detailed letter is attached. We were dismayed that the government’s response was to ask for more time to respond. None of the questions we have asked are novel—indeed we and many others have been asking them for weeks now. They are overdue for public and detailed responses. We very much welcome the return of parliament, and strongly urge the committee not to return to “business as usual” for as long as this crisis lasts. Its detailed weekly scrutiny is essential, and we again urge the committee to request a weekly public update for your meeting on a suite of crucial management information drawn from existing HMPPS internal returns.

Whilst we recognise the immense pressure that justice ministers are under, their current practice is not characterised by any of the cardinal principles the government has set out for the management of the crisis as a whole. This is not a matter of workload or complexity, but of political choice. They are failing to be transparent, to follow the science or, above all, to protect life. Peter Dawson  Director, Prison Reform Trust.

Police and prison officers tested for coronavirus in NHS bays as ministers chases 100,000 target

Police and prison officers are being given slots in the NHS coronavirus testing centres as Government seeks to hit 100,000 target

  target despite numbers remaining static for a third day.Prime Minister's official spokesman admitted that just 18,206 tests were carried out in the 24 hours up to 9am on Tuesday in England.

What you need to know

any prisoner or detainee with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature should be placed in protective isolation for 7 days

if a member of staff becomes unwell on site with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, they should go home

staff and prisoners should be reminded to wash their hands for 20 seconds more frequently and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues

frequently clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using your standard cleaning products

prisoners or detainees who have a new, continuous cough or a high temperature but are clinically well enough to remain in prescribed places of detention (PPDs) do not need to be transferred to hospital

confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) should be notified by prison or immigration removal centre (IRC) healthcare teams as soon as possible to local Public Health England (PHE) Health Protection Teams (HPT)

people who are severely unwell may be transferred to appropriate healthcare facilities with usual escorts and following advice on safe transfers

staff should wear specified personal protective equipment (PPE) for activities requiring sustained close contact with possible cases (see below for detail)

if facing multiple cases of those displaying symptoms, ‘cohorting’, or the gathering of potentially infected cases into a designated area, may be necessary

PPD leaders should be assessing their estate for suitable isolation and cohorting provision

Background

This guidance will assist healthcare staff and custodial and detention staff in addressing coronavirus (COVID-19) in prescribed places of detention (PPDs).

The following establishments in England are included within the definition of PPDs used in this guidance:

prisons (both public and privately managed)

immigration removal centres (IRC)

children and young people’s secure estate (CYPSE) young offender institutions (YOI), secure training centres (STC) and secure children’s homes (SCH)

Controlling the spread of infection in PPDs will rely on coordinating healthcare and custodial staff working with local PHE Health Protection Teams.

Recommendations made here may also be relevant to Prison Escort and Custodial Services (PECS) staff, particularly environmental cleaning recommendations and advice to staff.

This guidance may be updated in line with the changing situat

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a new, continuous cough or a high temperature. For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a

What to do if someone develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) in a prison or PPD

                                  GET THEM OUT!!!!!!!! 

In PPD settings, suspected cases are likely to be identified by:

custodial and detention staff

other prisoners and detainees

self-referral

at reception screening or through other means

All staff should be alert to prisoners or detainees who have a new, continuous cough or high temperature and the prisoner or detainee should be isolated in single occupancy accommodation (for example cell or detention room).

If such accommodation is not available, possible cases should be held alone in higher occupancy accommodation. The prisoner or detainee should wear a surgical face mask while being transferred to an isolation room. Escorting staff do not require PPE but must clean their hands on leaving the prisoner or detainee.

Prisoners or detainees who have a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, but who are clinically well enough to remain in prison, do not need to be transferred to hospital. Regular observations are not required unless indicated for other clinical reasons. Where possible, any assessment should be done without entering the room.

Access to a language-line, or similar translation service, must be provided as soon as a possible case enters the establishment. This will ensure an accurate history can be taken.

If a member of staff has helped someone who was taken unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, they do not need to go home unless they develop symptoms themselves. They should wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds after any contact with someone who is unwell.

If a member of staff becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they should be sent home immediately and advised to follow the stay at home guidance.

All PPDs should have a plan in place identifying an appropriate place to isolate patients with symptoms, preferably with input from an infection control specialist.

HPTs will contact PHE’s National Health and Justice Team and Centre Health and Justice leads in response to cases in prisons and PPDs. The HPT and the National Health and Justice Team will decide whether to declare a formal incident and respond accordingly. This will support efforts across organisations to achieve infection prevention and control following the 

national contingency plan for outbreaks in PPD.

As infection can be spread through both personal contact and environmental contamination, it is important to consider reviewing current infection prevention and control practices to ensure they follow national infection prevention and control guidance for PPDs.

Cohorting

Should the numbers of cases in an establishment increase, isolation resources could be under pressure. Cohorting is a strategy which can be effective in the care of large numbers of people who are ill by gathering all those who are suspected confirmed cases into one area (or a limited number of areas where it is necessary to keep some prisoners or detainees separate).

Cohorting presents many advantages in infection control. However, the area used for cohorting should not be considered the only source of infection. This is because PPDs are at risk of new cases being imported from the community or other establishments. Governors, Directors and IRC Managers must survey their establishments for suitability for cohorting and conduct risk assessments on the co-location of prisoners who would normally be kept separated.

Cleaning and waste

Guidance on cleaning and waste disposal is available.

Advice on the use of PPE for healthcare staff and custodial staff with patient-facing roles

Healthcare staff are most likely to work directly with patients with symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). Custodial staff, PECS and transport services may also be engaged especially when symptoms are first presented.

Those who are severely unwell will be transferred to an appropriate NHS facility. The facility that receives the individual must be informed that the patient may have an acute respiratory disease that will require precautionary isolation.

Infection prevention and control advice includes wearing the appropriate level of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Custodial or healthcare staff in close contact with confirmed or suspected cases:

Staff should minimise any non-essential contact with suspected coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. For activities requiring close contact with a possible case, for example, interviewing people at less than 2 metres distance, or arrest and restrain, PHE advises that the minimum level of PPE that custodial and escort staff should wear is:

disposable gloves

fluid repellent surgical face mask

if available, a disposable plastic apron and disposable eye protection (such as face visor or goggles) should also be worn

Healthcare staff in close contact with confirmed or suspected cases where aerosol generated procedure is being undertaken

PHE advises that the minimum level of PPE for healthcare staff required where aerosol generated procedure is being undertaken is:

FFP3 respirator

gloves with long tight-fitting cuffs

disposable fluid-resistant, full-sleeve gowns (single-use)

disposable eye protection, preferably face visor

For all staff, PPE must be changed regularly, either every 2 to 4 hours or in between patients.

PPE should be removed in a specific order that minimises the potential for cross-contamination. The order of removal of PPE should be:

Peel off gloves and dispose of in clinical waste

Perform hand hygiene, by handwashing with soap and water, or using alcohol gel

Remove apron by folding in on itself and place in a clinical waste bin

Remove goggles or visor only by the headband or sides and dispose of in clinical waste

Remove fluid repellent surgical face mask from behind and dispose in clinical waste

Perform hand hygiene

All used PPE must be disposed of as Clinical Waste. Scrupulous hand hygiene is essential to reduce cross-contamination. Coronaviruses can be killed by alcohol hand gel and most disinfectants.

Information on donning and doffing of PPE is available.

Limiting spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in PPDs

Managers of PPDs can help reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) by reminding everyone of the public health advice.

Staff and prisoners or detainees should be reminded to wash their hands for 20 seconds more frequently than normal.

Frequently clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using your standard cleaning products. Bleach-based disinfectant products (such as Titan-Chlor tablets) are recommended in PPDs for disinfection.

 

Care homes have little PPI so there is a small chance these guidelines will be followed due to many factors: lack of staff being a snapshot. We already know nothing gets enforced in prison it’s called reconditions.

This guideline recites more for the benefit of the public with little intention to manage. katherine

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/04/22/police-prison-officers-tested-coronavirus-nhs-bays-ministers/

http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Parliament/Covid-19/Justice%20Committee%20Covid-19%20submission%2023%20April%202020.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52396977?fbclid=IwAR0mK4FSNlG9gSwegYVD6q8Qh_5uyagbkH4ZVZDSioStSmXaQCStwHZ1rgE

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2020-04-23a.141.5&s=deaths+in+custody&fbclid=IwAR1MVb0bZYildUqvudE18RmyFF_fTqintiEdlIbktfqyvb7kqy0LoBWPja4

 https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/n7ja3x/prisons-coronavirus-response-britain?fbclid=IwAR03-h86nqMWWLQXxRdfMzUVc4aCAtyn2jfZ3nVyL7n5RcgKOP0rvSsrGeU

 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-prisons-and-other-prescribed-places-of-detention-guidance/covid-19-prisons-and-other-prescribed-places-of-detention-guidance

 https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/z3b9qj/prisoner-uses-smuggled-cellphone-to-beg-for-help-with-coronavirus-on-facebook-live