No fantasyland

The prisons inspectorate is publishing its inspection of a unit inside a prison that holds young girls - the Rivendell (yes, land of the elves) unit inside New Hall prison today.

Whilst the report is broadly favourable, it should be seen in the context of prisons being totally the wrong environment for young girls. The Howard League ran a vigorous campaign to get young girls dealt with effectively outside the prison system and exacted a promise that this would happen from the then home secretary. David Blunkett then came along and reneged on this, instead pumping millions into building expensive new units inside women’s prisons for girls. One of them has already been closed down.

I visited New Hall prison not that long ago. I went because we were deeply concerned at the suicides of women prisons over the past few years and because we have secured a public inquiry into the treatment of a young girl who had been held in New Hall when she was suicidal and her treatment was brutal. I was shocked to see that the prison environment is almost like a high security jail, despite it holding women, with razor wire and high concrete walls not just round the perimeter but also through the prison. The unit for juvenile girls was separate, but I didn’t see much activity and felt a rather desultory atmosphere. I am sure they are doing their best, but the point remains that children should not be in prison.