HMP Birmingham, England's worst prison, taken over by Government after inmates 'seized control'

England’s worst prison will be taken over by the Government after a damning inspection found that violent inmates have effectively seized control of the jail.

HMP Birmingham is becoming the first privately-run prison to be taken over by the Government on Monday after it emerged that “fearful” staff have taken to locking themselves in their own offices after being targeted by inmates.

The Victorian prison, which was being run by G4S, will be run by the Government for up to 12 months with a new Governor and management team installed. Ministers said that G4S, rather than the taxpayer, will foot the bill.

However it will lead to questions about the future of the 14 privately-run prisons in England and Wales, amid increasing concerns that they are overcrowded and struggling to cope.

In the week of the inspection, an arson attack on a “secure” car park outside the jail destroyed seven vehicles belonging to staff, who said they were “anxious and indeed fearful” for their own safety.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons disclosed that three in 10 inmates were on drugs, which were openly taken and trafficked at the time of the visit. The inspector said the use of drugs was so prevalent that he felt “physically affected” as he walked around.

Six prisoners have died this year at HMP Birmingham, where inmates have taken to locking themselves in their own cells for 24 hours a day to avoid being assaulted.

The inspectors said they were “greatly concerned” about the release of 50 high-risk offenders over the next three months, including paedophiles and rapists, amid concerns that they received little or no intervention in prison.

The Victorian prison, which was being run by G4S, will be taken over by the Government for up to 12 months with a new Governor and management team installed. Ministers said that G4S, rather than the taxpayer, will foot the bill.

However it will lead to questions about the future of the 14 privately-run prisons in England and Wales, amid increasing concerns that they are overcrowded and struggling to cope.

Rory Stewart, the prisons minister, said: “What we have seen at Birmingham is unacceptable and it has become clear that drastic action is required to bring about the improvements we require.

“We have good, privately-run prisons across the country and while Birmingham faces its own particular set of challenges, I am absolutely clear that it must start to live up to the standards seen elsewhere.”

Ministers took the drastic step of taking over the prison after a two-week unannounced inspection last month.

Rioting erupted at the prison in 2016, when 500 prisoners were let out of the cells, while more recently there were reports of escalating violence as inmates were effectively left to run the jail themselves.

Peter Clarke, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said that HMP Birmingham was in an “appalling” state and he was “astounded” that it had been allowed to “deteriorate so rapidly”. He accused G4S of an “abject failure of contract management and delivery”.

He said: “The inertia that seems to have gripped both those monitoring this contract and delivering it on the ground has led to one of Britain’s leading jails slipping into a state of crisis that is remarkable even by the low standards we have seen in recent years.”

The report disclosed that prisoners and staff “frequently” required hospital treatment, and seven in 10 inmates felt unsafe.

“There were no formal or structured means of confronting violent prisoners and many did not even face sanctions,” the report said. “As a result, those perpetrating the violence could do so with near impunity.”

Even prisoners who stayed in their cells for up to 24 hours a day to avoid being assaulted were intimidated, with other inmates squirting urine and throwing faeces through broken observation panels.

Inspectors discovered one inmate sitting “on some scruffy material on the springs of his bed” after his mattress was stolen by other prisoners. The incident had taken place three days earlier.

Another inmate, who had personal hygeine issues, was targeted in his cell by inmates using a fire hose. “We struggle to understand how staff could have allowed this appalling bullying to take place,” the report said.

Inspectors said the use of cannabis and psychoactive substances was “blatant”. “I have inspected many prisons where drugs are a problem, but nowhere else have I felt physically affected by the drugs in the atmosphere – an atmosphere in which it is clearly unsafe for prisoners and staff to live and work,” the inspector said.

The response of staff to questions about the drug use “was to shrug”, with many of the officers lacking “both confidence and competence in key prison skills”.

The report also found the prison was “filthy”, with rubbish accumulating in communal areas and widespread problems with rats, cockroaches and other vermin. Many of the windows in cells were broken.

Jerry Petherick, Managing Director of G4S Custody & Detention Services, said: “HMP Birmingham is an inner-city remand prison which faces exceptional challenges including increasingly high levels of prisoner violence towards staff and fellow prisoners.

“The well-being and safety of prisoners and prison staff is our key priority and we welcome the six-month step-in and the opportunity to work with the Ministry of Justice to urgently address the issues faced at the prison.”