Prisoners At Risk Of 'Escalating Violence'

Safety in jails in England and Wales continues to deteriorate "significantly" despite reforms designed to rein back control, a parliamentary report has said.

The House of Commons Justice Committee said rising levels of violence, self-harm and suicides behind bars are "a matter of great concern" and threaten to undermine the Government's penal reform agenda.

Unveiled by David Cameron earlier this year, the shake-up includes the creation of new "reform" jails, the introduction of league tables to assess prisons and moves to give governors greater control.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove has also set out plans to transform the education system in prisons and to increase the number of inmates let out on temporary licence.

Tory MP Bob Neill, chairman of the committee, said: "The ministry hoped that prison safety would stabilise.

"In reality it has deteriorated further and continues to do so.

"This is a matter of great concern and improvement is urgently needed.

"We will examine the details of the Government's ambitious penal reform agenda in due course.

"But this cannot wait.

"It is imperative that further attention is paid to bringing prisons back under firmer control, reversing recent trends of escalating violence, self-harm and disorder.

"Without such action, the implementation of these wider reforms will be undermined."

Last month, statistics published by the Ministry of Justice showed there were 100 apparent self-inflicted deaths in the year to March - the highest level for more than a decade.

There were more than 20,000 assaults in 12 months to December, a rise of 27% year-on-year, and nearly 5,000 attacks on staff - a jump of more than a third compared with 2014.

Earlier this month, staff at Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London walked out over health and safety concerns.

In a speech last week, Mr Gove conceded the figures for deaths in custody and violence in prisons are "terrible", adding: "There's no point trying to minimise, excuse or divert attention away from the increasing problems we face."

Shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer said: "This devastating report exposes the full extent of the Tory prison crisis.

"Staff shortages, overcrowding and a rise in violence have left many of our jails ungovernable and out of control.

"Self-harm and suicides are now at record levels and serious assaults on hardworking prison officers have surged."