Based on a detailed survey of more than 1,400 inmates in 10 prisons, conducted by teams of peer researchers who were themselves incarcerated, the study gives an unprecedented insight into the emergency quarantine conditions introduced in UK prisons when it was feared that were becoming hotspots for Covid. -19 virus. It found that 85% of inmates reported being locked in their cells for more than 23 hours a day for often months at a time, while their access to rehabilitation programs, family visits and regular exercise had been largely cut off. This effectively subjected prisoners to “one of the most extreme confinement regimes in the world,” the study says. Prisoners describe how Covid isolation affected their mental health – video It vividly records the “extensive trauma” inflicted on prisoners, as the prolonged isolation and boredom of long confinements turned prison life into a “cliff day” and affected the prisoners’ mental well-being. There are disturbing reports of self-harm, suicide, suicidal thoughts, widespread despair and spiraling anxiety. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Depression and anxiety scores among prisoners rose dramatically under the lockdown and were nearly five times higher than in the general population, the study found. Using standardized mental health measures, more than a third of the inmates scored at the level of severe anxiety disorder. Although the study says the strict conditions “probably saved lives” at the height of the pandemic, it adds that in many prisons aspects of the regime are still largely in place despite the lifting of Covid restrictions on the rest of society. In February, half of the prisoners reported that they were still incarcerated for 23 hours a day. Mark Johnson, founder of User Voice, the charity which carried out the peer-reviewed research for the study, said the consequence of the prison lockout regime would be a “mental health time bomb” as traumatized and unstable ex-offenders re-enter society without to have received rehabilitation or support. “Does an underfunded and understaffed criminal justice system that simply locks people up and precipitates mental health crises really cost more in the long run? If prisons are just locks and keys and offer nothing more, how safe are prisoners and the public when they are released?’ asks Johnson in the introduction to the study. The Justice Department has defended the Covid regime against accusations that it was disproportionate. It says that by June this year, a total of 200 inmates had died within 60 days of a positive Covid-19 test or had Covid-19 recorded as a contributing factor in their death – far fewer than the 2,700 potential victims modeled by Public Health England. A Prison Service spokesman said: “Our tough but necessary action during the pandemic has saved the lives of many staff and prisoners – and we quickly implemented measures such as video calls and in-cell training to recognize the impact. We continue to increase mental health support and improve staff training, and our prison strategy sets out a clear vision to provide all offenders with the education, skills and support they need to get back on track.” . The study disputes official claims that while quarantine conditions were necessarily draconian, they also reduced violence and succeeded in “bringing peace” to prisons. More than half of the prisoners disagreed, saying that verbal intimidation and coercion had increased but had gone largely unreported and the risk of riots and riots had increased. Most prisoners felt prison conditions had remained the same or worsened since the pandemic, with Covid being used as an “excuse” to cover up a staffing and resource crisis. “The general consensus … was that lockdown restrictions were not a historical aberration … but were about to become the new normal for those in prison,” the study says. Overseen by academics from Queen’s University Belfast and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the study was based on surveys and focus groups in a geographical variety of facilities, from maximum security prisons to open prisons, women’s prisons and young offenders’ institutes. The investigations were carried out between June 2021 and February with the cooperation of the prison authorities. The findings were not generally negative, with inmates praising instances where authorities responded quickly to Covid outbreaks, for example, or the introduction in some prisons of cell phones or video links to try to compensate for the loss of family visits. Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the study confirmed anecdotal reports of prison conditions over the past two and a half years. “Lockdown in prisons was both more extreme and much longer than in the community. Its impact on mental health has been devastating and rehabilitation work has stalled.’
In the UK, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or email [email protected] Mental health charity Mind can be contacted on 0300 123 3393 or visit mind.org.uk
