Prisoners effectively held in solitary confinement during coronavirus pandemic, MPs told

UK prisoners detained during the coronavirus pandemic have been kept in conditions akin to social confinement for almost four months, MPs have been told.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) implemented harsh restrictions on the movement of inmates during the height of the nation’s outbreak. Twenty-three prisoners and 9 staff members eventually died after testing positive for the virus.

In an inquiry into the response of British prisons, NGOs have that conditions remain consistent with international definitions of solitary confinement – with some people only allowed out of their cells for half an hour a day.

Meanwhile, MPs have said they are concerned by the longevity of the measures, which have been in place for almost four months, and the lack of transition out of the restrictions.

The Commons Justice Committee was told that while no mass outbreak among the prison population occurred, and the majority of elderly inmates were effectively shielded, a policy that could have seen thousands of prisoners offered temporary release to limit overcrowding was offered to just 200.

During the inquiry, the Howard League for Penal Reform told members the conditions in prisons were “consistent with, or very close to, international definitions of solitary confinement (22 hours or more alone each day)”.

Dame Anne Owers, national chair of the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), stated in a letter to the committee that some prisons were “providing as little as 30 minutes a day out of cell, or exercise only every other day”.

In their report, the MPs concluded: “We are concerned about how long lockdown measures have been in place, and while we recognise the increased complexities of moving a prison out of lockdown, we are concerned about the effect severe restrictions will have on prisoners.

“The prison estate has been in a state of lockdown for 15 weeks, and it is concerning that prisoners have not yet begun to transition from that state.”

The committee has called on the MoJ to set out how it plans to mitigate against any negative effects on those who have been locked up for most hours of the day.

It also queried why, after introducing an “End of custody temporary release” scheme in late April, which was designed to reduce overcrowding in prisons in light of the pandemic, the MoJ released just 200 prisoners despite declaring up to 4,000 would have been eligible.

Sir Bob Neill, the committee’s chair, said: “We are most grateful to the ministry, prison governors and prison officers for the vital work they are doing to respond to the pandemic and protect those in their care and the public.

“But we hope the Covid-19 lockdown in prisons can be carefully eased, with consistency across the prison estate, as it is being eased in the wider community.”

Additional reporting by Press Association