Brixton Prison (Hansard, 10 July 2000)

§ Mr. Boateng

Last November, I announced in the wake of serious concern about conditions at Brixton prison, that it must be regarded as a failing institution and that there must be rapid and fundamental improvement. I made it clear that unless big improvements were made quickly, Brixton could be subject to market testing. It is now over eight months since then, and progress at the prison has been kept under close review.

I am not satisfied with the rate of progress being made, nor that the necessary improvements will be in place within 12 months. In particular, there has not been adequate improvement in compliance with standards, the quality of regime remains poor, there are serious concerns about commitment to equal opportunities within the prison, costs remain high, and there is a lack of commitment to changes to free up resources to improve the regime. This judgment, accepted by the Director General, has been confirmed in a recent visit by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, who found that although certain improvements have been made in many areas, basic conditions, including cleanliness in the health care centre, were still unacceptable.

I have, therefore, reviewed the position and am clear that I would be failing in my public duty to all those at the prison—staff and prisoners alike—if we did not set a new path for the establishment. The Director General agrees with me that there should be a market test of Brixton prison. The new management team will be responsible for quickening the pace of improvement and for putting together an in-house bid, which will be judged alongside bids which will be invited from private sector operators.