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Group 4 loses prison contract

An in-house team from the Prison Service will next year take over the running of Buckley Hall, a category C jail in Rochdale, after winning a 10-year contract.

However, Premier Prison Service will remain at the privatised Doncaster Prison, Prisons Minister Paul Boateng has announced.

Soon after Buckley Hall jail opened in 1994, it was criticised by the Prison Reform Trust for security problems and loss of staff.

But Group 4 spokesman John Bates said on Friday that he was "shocked and disappointed" at the news of the changeover at the jail, which holds more than 350 inmates.

He said: "There has been much praise of the management and operation of the prison during the five years the prison has operated successfully, with few incidents."

However, Prison Service director general Martin Narey said it won the contract because of the quality of its education programme and "outstanding drugs strategy".

The victory for the Prison Service marks its first contract win for nearly five years.

Highest suicide rate

Doncaster Prison has been run by Premier since it was opened in 1994.

In March this year, it was identified as having the highest suicide rate in England and Wales, with 11 suicides in five years.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Sir David Ramsbotham, has criticised the jail for taking too great a mix of prisoners, with convicted and unconvicted juveniles, lifers, and vulnerable prisoners all rubbing shoulders.

As a result conditions at the jail, built to house 771 prisoners but holding 1,044, were deteriorating, he said.

However, overall he praised the establishment, saying it was well-run with a number of good practices and offered good value for money.

Prisons Minister Paul Boateng said more contracts would soon be coming up from 2000 at Manchester, the Wolds Prison, East Yorkshire, and Blakenhurst in Worcestershire.

Buckley Hall and Doncaster were examples of how privatisation could benefit UK jails, he said.

'Benefits of competition'

"The success of the Buckley Hall in-house bid is evidence, if it were needed, that public sector prison staff are capable of delivering the same high standards and levels of efficiency as their private sector counterparts," he said.

"There will be more competitions coming up as contracts fall for renewal and I would expect the quality of bids, from both the public and private sector, to be as high as those announced today.

"The public and prisoners benefit from such competitions as standards are raised and costs controlled."

He added that any prisons perceived to be failing would in future face privatisation.

"I have asked the director general to put forward proposals for developing this further and look forward to receiving these in the New Year," he said.

There are currently seven privatised prisons of the 135 jails in England and Wales.

Relevant Stories

Prison officers face jobs axe (22 Oct 99 | Scotland)
Prison lessons to reduce re-offending (15 Oct 99 | Education)
'Inflexible' prison staff criticised (15 Oct 99 | UK)
Control is 'fragile' at high-tech prison (14 Oct 99 | Wales)
Prison health care condemned (08 Oct 99 | Health)
More staff for Brixton jail (04 Oct 99 | UK)
Unrest at privately-run prison (23 Sep 99 | Scotland)
Fury over suicide jail's Charter Mark (26 Jan 99 | UK)

Internet Links

HM Prison Service
Home Office
Howard League for Penal Reform
Penal Lexicon: The Doncaster Report
Group 4

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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