Prisons: Action Plans and Special Measures Debate
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Lord Bishop of Chester
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Prisons: Action Plans and Special Measures
Lord Bishop of Chester Excerpts(6 years, 10 months ago)
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Lord Keen of Elie
My Lords, we are halfway to the target of recruiting 2,500 extra prison officers. Reference is made to the past. We, as a Government, learn from the past but we plan for the future.
The Lord Bishop of Chester
My Lords, bishops go into prison more often than most Members of your Lordships’ House. There are two prisons in my diocese. The Liverpool prison report is an absolute scandal, so far as I can judge. However, does the Minister agree that many prisons are functioning rather well in the circumstances they face and that there is a good deal that can be celebrated alongside the horror stories, which are indeed dreadful?
Lord Keen of Elie
I accept that there have been horror stories and we cannot but be concerned by that. As I indicated, 10 prisons are subject to special measures and receive support but others are functioning effectively. We are taking urgent steps to improve the prison estate.