In a damning indictment of the levels of squalor, a Dutch court recently refused to extradite a prisoner to England on the grounds that the conditions awaiting him would be “inhumane and degrading”. Recent inspections report filthy cells, stinking unscreened toilets, broken windows, exposed wiring and heaps of rubbish infested with vermin. Deaths have risen by 20% in less than a year. Jails are beset by chronic overcrowding, drug use, mental illness and self-harm. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Imagesīoris Johnson’s recent announcement of 10,000 extra prison places comes at a time when our penal system is on its knees, with services slashed to the bone after years of cuts. View image in fullscreen ‘£36,000 per prisoner per year’ … HMP Berwyn.
