Bristol Prison ‘being pushed to its limits’

An independent report has branded Bristol Prison as not fit for purpose.

The prison in Horfield “is being pushed to its limits”, says the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), with prisoners “being failed and most will have a little chance of rehabilitation upon release”.

The report says there has been little improvement since HMP Bristol’s most recent inspection in which it was described as one of the most unsafe prisons in the UK; but the Prison Service say that they have already taken action “to address the serious concerns raised in this report”.

The IMB at Bristol Prison say they have been “shocked and saddened” by the recent number of deaths in custody, with its annual report highlighting high levels of self-harm and violence.

“Staffing pressures contribute to a vicious cycle of prisoners spending longer hours in their cells, increasing frustration and reducing access to education, healthcare and other services, which does not support effective rehabilitation.”

Over the last year, the Bristol IMB – part of more than 1000 unpaid volunteers monitoring every prison in England and Wales -says that there has been:

• a concerning rise in serious safety issues
• an increase in the number of prisoners
• a lack of prison staff on duty
• and insufficient healthcare

The original prison entrance has a blue plaque commemorating sufragette Theresa Garnett who was imprisoned there in 1909 – photo: Martin Booth

Bristol Prison had one of the highest numbers of deaths across the UK, and highest levels of self-harm and violent incidents when compared to other similar prisons.

An increase in the number of prisoners from 480 to 580 has seen no increase in the number of cells or additional staff. The IMB says that the prison “is now overcrowded with over six out of ten prisoners now sharing a cell, many of which were built for one person in Victorian times, for up to 22 hours a day”.

Staffing levels are below the required levels and on some days the numbers on duty were below the minimum level needed

And there is insufficient healthcare to support the growing number of prisoners with complex physical and mental health needs, with long waits for prisoners requiring specialist mental health units, “who are more than often being held in segregation awaiting a transfer”.

HMP Bristol houses more than 500 prisoners across five main wings – photo: Martin Booth

IMB chair, Emma Firman, said: “We are now seeing a prison that is being pushed to its limits.

“If the prison is to be fit for purpose, then additional resources and a reduction in overcrowding is needed to enable the hard working but overstretched staff to keep prisoners safe.

“Prisoners at Bristol are being failed and most will have a little chance of rehabilitation upon release.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We have already taken action to address the serious concerns raised in this report including bolstering the number of frontline staff to reduce violence and improving the support provided to vulnerable prisoners.

“We only double up cells where it is safe to do so and we’re undertaking significant refurbishments at the prison as part of our multi-billion pound investment to improve conditions across the estate.”

Main photo: Martin Booth

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• Prisoner arrested after fellow inmate dies at Bristol Prison

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