Guernsey prison numbers highest since pandemic

There are currently 99 inmates at Les Nicolles Prison, according to new figures

Guernsey's prison population is at its highest level since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Les Nicolles governor John De Carteret said UK prisons not accepting prisoners due to overcrowding was partly to blame for the rise.

According to the latest figures, there are currently 99 inmates at Les Nicolles Prison.

A charity which supports former inmates in the island said it had noticed more people seeking help.

Mary Hervé said she had noticed more people seeking her charity's support in recent months

Mary Hervé, co-ordinator of Guernsey Caring for Ex-Offenders, said: "I certainly have noticed an increase in our workload, but nothing we can't manage.

"The increase in our workload isn't just because of the increase in numbers in the prison though, but because we are becoming more well-known and better valued."

According to the governor's report, the number of inmates at Guernsey's prison reached a record high in 2012.

The prison roll peaked at 127 in August 2012, 12 short of the maximum 139 that can be held at Les Nicolles Prison.

The figures showed were 114 inmates in the prison at the end of 2018, before dropping to 85 in December 2019.

There were 93 inmates in the prison in February 2020, before the first lockdown order in March 2020.

Of the 99 current inmates in Les Nicolles, the figures showed 31 have been convicted of sexual offences, 25 were in prison for offences related to drugs, while 21 had been sentenced for other violent crimes.

The statistics showed Les Nicolles was currently home to 25 people who were on remand, either awaiting trial or sentencing, while 29 were serving between a year and four years.

The majority of the prisoners were adult men, with only four women imprisoned at Les Nicolles currently.