The state of English prisons and the urgent need for reform

Nasrul Ismail,Andrew Forrester

doi:10.1016/s2468-2667(20)30142-0

Abstract

People in prison are among the most marginalised in societies, often presenting with physical and mental illness.1,2 Their vulnerability is such that international treaties (eg, the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, 2015) and organisations (eg, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture [CPT]) are required to ensure that people in prison remain safe, that inhuman treatment is prohibited, and that their right to health is secured.

Highlights

People in prison are among the most marginalised in societies, often presenting with physical and mental illness.[1,2]. Their vulnerability is such that international treaties and organisations are required to ensure that people in prison remain safe, that inhuman treatment is prohibited, and that their right to health is secured.[3]
These issues should be of particular concern in England and Wales, which have the highest imprisonment rate in western Europe (174 per 100 000 people, compared with the European average of 132 per 100 000 people).[4]
The CPT emphasised the crisis in English prison systems and issued 42 recommendations to address the unhealthy, unsafe, and unsustainable conditions registered in accordance with the 2016 inspections.[5]

Summary

Introduction

People in prison are among the most marginalised in societies, often presenting with physical and mental illness.[1,2] Their vulnerability is such that international treaties (eg, the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, 2015) and organisations (eg, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture [CPT]) are required to ensure that people in prison remain safe, that inhuman treatment is prohibited, and that their right to health is secured.[3]. People in prison are among the most marginalised in societies, often presenting with physical and mental illness.[1,2] Their vulnerability is such that international treaties (eg, the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, 2015) and organisations (eg, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture [CPT]) are required to ensure that people in prison remain safe, that inhuman treatment is prohibited, and that their right to health is secured.[3] These issues should be of particular concern in England and Wales, which have the highest imprisonment rate in western Europe (174 per 100 000 people, compared with the European average of 132 per 100 000 people).[4] In April, 2020, the CPT reported on its previous ad hoc prison inspections in England in 2019.

Results

Conclusion