Deputy Mayor Responds to ‘Prison: The Facts Report’

Responding to the ‘Prison: The Facts’ report from the Prison Reform Trust, West Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE said:

“It appears that we are reaching a farcical scenario across our prison system, which requires a much greater intervention from Government.

“To avoid crisis, there has to be a long-term plan, helping to alleviate the pressures and address the unsustainable staff turnover rate.

“Left unchecked, it will have a knock-on effect across the wider criminal justice system and will likely impact upon community safety later down the line.

“We do not want to reach a position where demand created through the introduction of additional police officers and staff nationally, is outstripping the capacity within our prisons.

“We also know the damaging effects that a collapse of work, education and training can have on inmates, and how that can exacerbate the issues we experience on our streets.

“Here in West Yorkshire, there is lots of work taking place through our West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and other mechanisms to mitigate this, but it cannot be a problem absorbed locally.

“I would urge ministers to review the findings of this latest report and act quickly to ensure we do not witness the perfect storm it warns of.”