Black prisoners have faced a disproportionate use of force in compared to the their counterparts from the other racial groups at Wormwood Scrub, UK’s most notorious prison.
The annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board, a statutory body that monitors the treatment of prisoners, found that from June 2022 to May 2023, black prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs were subjected to 43% of use-of-force incidents although they formed just 27% of the prison population.
A Prison Service spokesperson told City News, “Prison officers only use force as a last resort and we monitor its use carefully including for any disparities in the way it is deployed.”
Drugs, Crime and more
Drugs and other banned items are sent into the prison either by being thrown over the wall or by use of drones.
“The prison acknowledges that drugs of many types are easily accessible and plentiful,” the report states.
The prison spokesperson also said, “Cells are only doubled up where it is safe to do so and we’re improving staff training to better support those at risk to self-harm and suicide. We’ve also invested £100 million in tough security measures to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars.”
Three deaths were reported during the year, one apparently due to suicide, and self-harm incidents increased by more than 22% from 408 to 498.
Jessica Pandian, a researcher at Inquest said: “This report isn’t a surprise as they have been trying to institutionalise racial discrimination.
“Unfortunately this is just another report to suggest suggest racial discrimination in prisons and they are doing to de-escalate the situation.”
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HeadlineReport finds Black inmates at London Prison subjected to ‘disproportionate’ use of force
Short HeadlineRacial discrimination towards black inmates in London prison
StandfirstIndependent Monitoring Board finds that the Wormwood Scrub prison has taken 'little action on the issue.'
Black prisoners have faced a disproportionate use of force in compared to the their counterparts from the other racial groups at Wormwood Scrub, UK’s most notorious prison.
The annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board, a statutory body that monitors the treatment of prisoners, found that from June 2022 to May 2023, black prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs were subjected to 43% of use-of-force incidents although they formed just 27% of the prison population.
A Prison Service spokesperson told City News, “Prison officers only use force as a last resort and we monitor its use carefully including for any disparities in the way it is deployed.”
Drugs, Crime and more
Drugs and other banned items are sent into the prison either by being thrown over the wall or by use of drones.
“The prison acknowledges that drugs of many types are easily accessible and plentiful,” the report states.
The prison spokesperson also said, “Cells are only doubled up where it is safe to do so and we’re improving staff training to better support those at risk to self-harm and suicide. We’ve also invested £100 million in tough security measures to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars.”
Three deaths were reported during the year, one apparently due to suicide, and self-harm incidents increased by more than 22% from 408 to 498.
Jessica Pandian, a researcher at Inquest said: “This report isn’t a surprise as they have been trying to institutionalise racial discrimination.
“Unfortunately this is just another report to suggest suggest racial discrimination in prisons and they are doing to de-escalate the situation.”
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