July 17th 2024.
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that HMP Dartmoor, a category C prison in Devon, will be temporarily closed and its inmates relocated to other facilities. This move comes after the discovery of high levels of radon at the prison, with around 175 inmates set to be evacuated over the next two weeks. While the Ministry believes there is enough space to accommodate these prisoners elsewhere, it will undoubtedly add strain to an already overburdened prison system.
A spokesperson for the department expressed concern over the state of the prison system, stating that it is in crisis. This is a recent example of why the government had to take immediate action in its first week to alleviate some of the pressure on the prison system. They also emphasized their commitment to building new prison places in order to incarcerate the most dangerous offenders and ensure public safety.
On the same day as the announcement, the government laid out regulations in Parliament that would reduce the amount of time prisoners must serve before being eligible for automatic release from half of their sentence to 40%. However, this does not apply to those convicted of sex offenses, terrorism, domestic abuse, or some violent offenses. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood had previously warned that failure to take action would result in the collapse of the prison system.
According to recent figures, there are only about 700 available spots in adult male prisons, which is well below the buffer deemed necessary by the Ministry to handle unexpected events, such as the closure of HMP Dartmoor. The prison, which was originally built in the early 19th century to house French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars, was initially set to close in 2023. However, this decision was reversed in 2019 due to the rising number of prisoners.
In December of 2023, the prison was forced to evacuate over 400 inmates due to dangerous levels of radon, a radioactive gas that is colorless and odorless. These prisoners had just started to return to Dartmoor at the beginning of July, but the recent discovery of high radon levels has resulted in the complete closure of the prison. Steve Gillan, the general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, acknowledged that conditions at the prison had worsened since the prisoners' return, but also stated that the closure was the right decision under the circumstances. He added that while the timing is unfortunate, with overcrowding already an issue, there was no other option.
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