Govt takes control of 'appalling' Birmingham prison from G4S

The government has taken control of the running of HMP Birmingham back from private contractor G4S after the prison was found to be in "an appalling state" and control was described as "tenuous".

Ministry of Justice officials recommended the prison be taken out of the hands of G4S after an unannounced inspection earlier this month found "exceptionally high" levels of violence among prisoners, with many refusing to emerge from their cells because of their fear of attack, with filthy conditions and widespread problems with cockroaches, rats and other vermin. Tests suggesting a third of prisoners were using illicit drugs, with one in seven saying they had developed a drug problem at the prison.

The MoJ has taken immediate control of the prison from contractor G4S, running the prison for an initial six-month period "at no additional cost to the taxpayer".

G4S was awarded a 15-year contract to run the prison in 2011 but after riots broke out in 2016 it has been working with HM Prison & Probation Service to try and drive up standards at a prison where there had been serious concerns over safety, security and other conditions.

The MoJ said on Monday that it was clear that "without additional support the prison will not be able to make sufficient progress on these pressing issues which have again been highlighted following the recent HMIP inspection" and that G4S accepted that this is the case.

Chief inspector of prisons Peter Clarke sent a letter calling for an urgent inquiry to Justice Secretary David Gauke at the end of last week, revealing that there had been “dramatic deterioration” since the last inspection in early 2017.

"We found living conditions as poor as we have seen anywhere in recent years and staff and managers appeared to have become inured to the decay in standards," Clarke said.

"Communal areas in most wings were filthy. Rubbish had accumulated and not been removed. There were widespread problems with insects, including cockroaches, as well as rats and other vermin. We saw evidence of bodily fluids left unattended, including blood and vomit. I saw a shower area where there was bloodstained clothing and a pool of blood that had apparently been there for two days, next to numerous rat droppings."

Levels of violence were found to be "exceptionally high" with many serious incidents, with many perpetrators of violence not facing any sanctions and "not enough was being done to make the prison safer".

"There was a lack of order and control on some wings. Drugs were easily available. There had been three self-inflicted deaths since we last inspected and a further three deaths likely to be linked to the misuse of NPS [new psychoactive substances, such as 'spice']."

In a statement from the MoJ on Monday, prisons minister Rory Stewart said: "What we have seen at Birmingham is unacceptable and it has become clear that drastic action is required to bring about the improvements we require.

"This ‘step in’ means that we can provide additional resources to the prison while insulating the taxpayer from the inevitable cost this entails."