Prison windows – through which two inmates fled – are still broken, even after eight years.
HMP Pentonville ordered urgent repairs once a hunting knife was smuggled into the building, which was used to stab one of the inmates, Jamal Mahmoud, 21, in 2016.
During the same year, James Whitlock, 32, and Matthew Baker, 29, escaped the prison by cutting the window bars, climbing on top of the building.
Then, the duo used a bedsheet as a makeshift abseil, gliding over the prison gates and leaving the beds in their shared cell stuffed to trick staff into believing that there was nothing – or no one – amiss.
Beyond broken bars, the report has outlined numerous other issues regarding “appalling conditions” – including inmates being bitten by rats and venomous spiders in several UK jails
PA
The Independent Monitoring Board – composed of volunteers who scrutinise prisons’ conditions – has revealed that these window bars still have not been fixed.
In a report, the board has declared: “The subsequent urgent investigation recommended 800 insecure windows and security grilles be replaced as a priority, but eight years later, this is yet to be completed.”
Beyond broken bars, the report has outlined numerous other issues regarding “appalling conditions” – including inmates being bitten by rats and venomous spiders in a number of jails across the UK.
Additionally, there have been reports of rotting rodents, bed bugs, cockroach infestations and sewer leaks.
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The report added that delayed maintenance and repairs had “serious safety implications at many prisons” as broken windows and grilles “increased the risk of illicit items being smuggled into the prison”.
Board chairwoman Elisabeth Davies said: “You only have to step into some prisons before being struck by the urgent need for significant investment.
“The problem, however, is not only the lack of funding, but also the inefficient spending of what little money there is.
“Prisoners are enduring appalling conditions across the board.”
The report added that delayed maintenance and repairs had “serious safety implications at many prisons” as broken windows and grilles “increased the risk of illicit items being smuggled into the prison”
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Most recent figures have indicated that the prison population has returned to higher than 86,000, although the Home Office has released thousands of inmates since the summer in a bid to tackle the ongoing prisons’ crisis.
If broken windows are not quickly repaired, it is much easier for “drones to deliver items such as drugs and weapons to the prison”, according to the report.
Prisons minister Lord Timpson said: “This is a very concerning report that once again highlights the shocking extent of the prison crisis we inherited.
“The Government has already taken immediate action to address the crowding chaos engulfing our jails. We are now focusing on improving conditions in the long term so our prisons create better citizens, not better criminals.”