By: Lizzie Dearden
Prisons are not something we often think about. They are places that we don’t want to go, full of people we don’t want to meet, who are there for reasons that don’t concern us. But this January, the prison system was brought into the spotlight after a riot erupted in Ford open prison on New Year’s Day. Buildings were vandalised and set on fire after prison officers attempted to breathalyse prisoners. There were just six members of staff on duty at the time.
Only 40 men out of a population of 500 are suspected of being involved, but the incident has sparked a huge media debate about the viability of open prisons. Some left wing publications emphasised the rarity of such incidents in an otherwise functional system, while those on the right decried open prisons’ very existence. One commentator opened an article with: “Who thought of having open prisons in the first place, and why did nobody laugh?” In other media outlets, similar questions were asked. But however contradictory the idea of an ‘open’ prison seems to be, they perform a unique function in our prison system.
The term ‘open’ signifies a category D prison, which is reserved for only the lowest risk offenders nearing the end of their sentence. Category D institutions do not admit those convicted of arson, some sexual offences or most violent crimes and an inmate’s stay is conditional upon good behaviour and risk assessments. It is especially important for those who have served long sentences to be reacquainted with current affairs and new technology. Inmates are locked in their cells at night but free to move around the facility in the day. At Ford, manual employment, such as engineering, is compulsory to help rehabilitate prisoners and vocational and academic qualifications are also offered. Some prisoners are permitted to leave for limited periods to undertake community service or maintain family connections. Ford is one of only nine open prisons currently operating in England and Wales.
Compared to a high-security prison, Ford sounds idyllic, but how ‘open’ is it? James*, a former inmate, told me about his experience: “It was fairly free. I had a ‘job’ there, a sort of nine ‘till five (Monday to Friday), building up electrical components and light fittings, etc. We were still locked in our rooms after tea but we could walk around the grounds during the day on weekends. I must have walked ‘the circuit’ a thousand times during my stay there!” James was transferred to Ford after serving time in Winchester, which is a standard closed prison for category B and C offenders. Like the other 130 closed institutions in England and Wales, conditions are oppressive. James described the difference in conditions to Ford: “I was banged up in my cell for 23 hours a day and only allowed out to get dinner and for half an hour of ‘association’ where we would walk around in circles in the small courtyard.’
I visited Winchester prison myself a few years ago to report on a play that young offenders were performing. Seeing the courtyard where the prisoners are allowed to exercise was a shock. It was in the centre of the Victorian building complex, contained by walls so high that sunlight could barely reach the ground. It was tiny and surrounded by feet of barbed-wire fencing. I was unable to finish my report because, as I was later told, I was too young to visit the prison; the governor had raised the age limit from 16 to 18 in the view that it was too distressing an experience for anyone under that age.
There is a high rate of self-harm among inmates in closed prisons, with an estimated 20,000 incidents a year. In 2010, 56 prisoners committed suicide. The higher quality of life in open institutions, by contrast, contributes to better mental health among prisoners.
However, the comparative liberty afforded to those interned in open prisons has led to accusations that they are dangerous and prone to violent disorder. One newspaper titled a news article “Why put dangerous men in an open jail, free to start £3million riot?” I asked James if he had ever sensed this risk: “Not during my time. It was a mutual trust sort of thing. It was dead easy to abscond but all that would happen when you’re caught is you’d be sent back to a category A or B prison and get your sentence extended so it’s a bit daft if you ask me.” He never saw any violence during his time there.
The riot at Ford has been blamed in part on short-staffing and an influx of higher risk prisoners as a result of overcrowding. Mark Freeman of the Prison Officers’ Association expressed his concerns to The Guardian.
“In our view they do not have enough staff. The general policy is that prisons in an open state have less staff but we feel they should have more because they have more access to illegal activities. This is what happens when you have the mix of easily available alcohol and the wrong type of prisoner.”
It is feared that with cuts being implemented in the prison service and overcrowding on the rise, incidents such as the Ford riot could become more frequent. Steve Gillian, also of the Prison Officers’ Association, reported that the service is “nearly 1,000 prison staff short and…now looking at making prison staff redundant.”
With prospects like these, imprisonment as a form of punishment in the UK is looking unsustainable. So is rehabilitation the solution? Having experienced imprisonment first hand, James believes it is. He said: “a person who has done a bad deed needs to be coached and see the error of their ways. To lock a person in a cell for 23 hours a day with no mental stimulation does not teach them anything and certainly doesn’t stop them repeat offending.” The UK’s extraordinarily high re-offending rate reflects this assertion. In 2008, 40% of ex-prisoners were convicted in court at least once in the first year after release. After two years out of prison, an estimated two thirds re-offend.
The UK imprisons the highest percentage of citizens in Western Europe, currently totalling 83,305 and its strategy clearly needs revising. Open prisons like Ford could provide a medium between closed prisons and rehabilitation. However, to function properly and avoid incidents like the riot on New Year’s Day, they need more money and more staff. With budget cuts rapidly coming into effect across the board, the future of Ford and other open institutions is uncertain.
*Name changed for confidentiality