Women's jail 'disrespects' inmates

Female guards are rare at Brockhill, the report found

Inmates at a women's jail are being treated with disrespect because there are too few female guards, the chief inspector of prisons has said.

Anne Owers said there were too many male prison officers at Brockhill Prison in Worcestershire.

The problem is believed to reflect a rapid and unexpected growth in the female prison population.

It is about time that the government fulfilled its promise to remove girls from prison before more vulnerable and needy girls are damaged further by the experience of prison

Lorraine Atkinson

In her report, Ms Owers says there are too few female guards and some nights there are none on duty at all.

The report also heavily criticises strip searches at the prisons.

They are carried out behind a curtain in an area heavily frequented by male guards who shout if they want to come in.

Ms Owers describes some practices at the prison as "inappropriate, disrespectful and insensitive".

'Standards improving'

She also called attention to the agency nurses who work in the prison hospital.

She said inexperienced staff were allowed to work with suicidal inmates.

Anne Owers: Brockhill regime insensitive

Many had no specific prison training and at least one had never worked in a prison before.

The Howard League for Penal Reform called on the government to honour its promise to remove girls under 18 from prisons.

The group said research it had carried out into conditions for girls in prison found that many were "extremely vulnerable", with 22% having had a history of self-harm and 41% reporting drug or alcohol abuse.

'Unsuitable environment'

Lorraine Atkinson, of the Howard League, said: "This report demonstrates what the Howard League has known all along, that prison is not, and never will be a suitable environment for girls."

She added: "It is about time that the government fulfilled its promise to remove girls from prison before more vulnerable and needy girls are damaged further by the experience of prison."

The head of the prison service, Martin Narey, said Brockhill had been a worry but that there was a new governor in place and standards were improving.

Since she became chief inspector last year, Ms Owers has criticised several prisons including Dartmoor jail which she described as a "jail that time forgot".