Jail failing to prepare inmates for release - report

A watchdog report described HMP Brixton as the most overcrowded jail in England for moderate-risk prisoners

A prison in south London is failing to prepare inmates for release with almost half saying it is easy to obtain and buy drugs, a watchdog report has found.

Inspectors visited HMP Brixton in June and said it was "the most overcrowded category C prison in the country".

Brixton prison holds 740 men and has been described by inspectors as "a complex population".

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said "significant strides" had been made to address issues raised by inspectors.

Despite 140 prisoners being released each month, the report written by the chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, found Brixton to be failing to prepare inmates for their return to the community.

The report said many prisoners "were turning to drugs" as a result of having "nothing to do with their time" and being confined to their cells.

It said 450 prisoners were receiving support for substance misuse adding that "42% of prisoners said it was easy to get illicit drugs".

The conditions of the south London prison were also criticised in the report, which was published on Tuesday.

"With 66% of prisoners in shared cells designed for one person, Brixton is the most overcrowded category C prison in the country," the report said.

"Cells designed with toilets in the middle made it impossible to have enough furniture for two prisoners, and fresh air out of these cramped, dirty cells was limited.

"Some prisoners on the basic regime had just 45 minutes a day to shower and go outside."

Mr Taylor wrote: "There is no doubt that Brixton faces unique challenges as an inner-city category C jail, but its location also offers unique advantages in terms of the wealth of local employment opportunities, which should have provided excellent opportunities for prisoners.

"We met many dedicated staff at Brixton and found much to commend, but fundamentally the prison was failing to deliver on its intended role as a training and resettlement prison."

In response to the report's publication and findings, a spokeswoman for the MoJ said: "The new government inherited a justice system in crisis and has been forced to take action across the prison estate so we can continue to lock up dangerous offenders, protect the public and make prisons safer for hard-working staff.

“HMP Brixton has already made significant strides in addressing the concerns raised in this report, including bolstered supervision for offenders on release, refurbishment works on the wings and using its X-Ray scanner and intelligence-led cell searches to clamp down on illicit items entering the prison.”