Bladed toilet brushes among weapons shown to Justice Secretary on prison visit
The Justice Secretary was shown makeshift weapons including bladed toilet brushes and knives made from bedframes during her visit to HMP Bedford on Friday morning.
Shabana Mahmood was given a tour of the Victorian jail prior to her announcement that thousands of prisoners are to be released earlier than planned as the Government attempts to avert the “collapse” of the prisons system.
Bedford was put into emergency measures in November 2023 after inspectors found high levels of violence, rat-infested wings and inadequate mental health services.
Three-quarters of prisoners were also living in overcrowded conditions and an action plan was put in place to address the concerns raised.
Staff, including a group of prison officers, were all smiles as they welcomed Ms Mahmood at the prison entrance.
The mood was contrasted with a backdrop which featured a list of high-risk offenders held at the Category B jail and the sound of alarmed prison doors opening and closing.
During her tour, Ms Mahmood saw piles of contraband vapes and cigarette packs stuffed into walls, while the warden displayed items which had been found on prisoners or had been thrown into the enclosure.
This included toilet brushes fitted with blades, a deodorant can with a screw pushed into it, toothbrushes melted down to form spikes and a large blade made from a bed frame.
At one point, staff were seen holding a prisoner in their cell with a plastic shield as the cabinet minister walked by, while later on six guards on the wings shouted at an inmate through their cell wall to “sit on the bed” before they entered.
The Justice Secretary’s route also forced her to walk past a “free IPP” sign on a cell window, an issue which has come to the fore of public debate since Labour’s election victory last week.
Ms Mahmood was shown around the Education Department, a large space designed for skills development which included meeting rooms and a library.
The walls of the building were decorated with inspirational posters including quotes from Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela.
A large crime section featuring novels written by James Patterson and Jo Nesbo could be seen on the shelves of the library.
The Justice Secretary was accompanied by Governor Sarah Bott who took over the site after the inspector had called for urgent improvements.
The tour was then followed up by Ms Mahmood’s press conference at HMP Five Wells, in Northamptonshire.
There, she warned without immediate action to address overcrowding, prisons would run out of space within weeks – leading to “a total breakdown of law and order”.
Echoing language used about supporters of appeasement in the 1930s, Ms Mahmood laid the blame for the prisons crisis with the previous government.
She said: “Those responsible – Sunak and his gang in Number 10 – should go down in history as the guilty men. The guilty men who put their political careers ahead of the safety and security of our country.
“It was the most disgraceful dereliction of duty I have ever known.”
Figures released by the Ministry of Justice on Friday showed the adult male prison population stood at 83,755 out of a “usable operational capacity” of 84,463, with some 708 spaces available.
