Coronavirus Situation in English and Welsh Prisons

In England and Wales,  the situation is grave. The number of confirmed coronavirus infections continue to rise. Last week the Justice Secretary Robert Buckland revealed in parliament that there are nearly 2,000 prisoners who had health conditions that, were they living in the community, would result in their being shielded. Instead, they are in unhygienic, over-crowded prisons, where social distancing and shielding is impossible. For some, prison risks being a death sentence.

There are reports that at least one prison is breaching guidelines by placing prisoners who have tested positive for coronavirus in cells with prisoners who have not. There are also reports that a quarter of prison staff are absent due to coronavirus-related issues.

On Wednesday the president of the Prison Governors’ Association, told The Daily Telegraph that ‘Prisons are now at the point where a decision must be made and implemented immediately on early release of prisoners’. While the situation remains very unpredictable, there is no sign, at time of writing, that the Justice Secretary is willing to make this necessary call. Indeed, the government instead appears to be directing its energies into expanding prison capacity, including in immigration detention centres, army barracks, and police and court cells, rather than taking the decisive steps needed to prevent needless deaths and infection in prisons.

The scale of the potential coronavirus crisis in prison requires action of an appropriate seriousness and ambition. It is time for the Justice Secretary to show that he is up to this challenge.