Members of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) have condemned women’s prisons HMP Styal and Eastwood Park.
The committee found that severe staff shortages at both prisons impaired safety, activity scheduling, and prisoner welfare, often leading to prolonged lockups and a lack of supervision. Efforts to improve the prison officer-to-prisoner ratio needed to continue, while the training of prison officers in women’s prisons should be re-assessed and strengthened, so as to be more specialised, gender-specific, and trauma-informed.
At Styal, the CPT said that urgent action was needed to bring the establishment into conformity with fire safety regulations – without which the lives of women, and potentially their children, were at risk. In addition, most of the two-storey accommodation houses were found to be dilapidated and in an inadequate state of repair.
The monitors criticised the treatment of women placed in the Segregation units at both prisons, saying that they should receive at least two hours of meaningful human contact daily. Women segregated for longer than 14 days also needed proactive support for reintegration. At HMP Styal, monitors called for safer cell furnishings to be installed to reduce self-harm risks.
The committee’s report maintained that significant numbers of women were serving short sentences or had been recalled to prison, often for between 14 and 28 days. These women needed effective reintegration measures and efficient social and mental healthcare, both in prison and the community, to support them in rebuilding their lives and improve their chances of staying out of prison.
The report concluded by recommending further investment in effective community-based alternatives and support services, especially for women with complex needs, mental health issues, and those at risk of homelessness.
For further information, click here.