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A serving prison governor from one of the country’s crowded jails has spoken exclusively to Sky News about conditions inside, the reality of early release and why we should rethink who is sent to jail.

Here is what he told us.

There is a smell you always associate with prison – the smell of unwashed bodies. Inmates can go two weeks, sometimes more, without changing their clothes.

Laundry services are one of the first things to get dropped as overcrowding means other things are prioritised and access to showers during unlock hours is limited. Personal hygiene is always a trigger for conflict.

Prisoners do not go to prison to be further punished. The punishment is going to prison. When the regime is so curtailed, so tight – prisoners feel they are being further punished, and they are reacting to that through their behaviour.

Even the delivery of food can be a flashpoint for further aggression. If staff are stretched for time – lunch will be taken to cell doors rather than allowing inmates out to the canteen. But for the prisoner – that’s just another example of being denied space out of their cell.

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They’re kept behind cell doors anywhere between 20 and 23 hours a day, sometimes in a cell designed for one being shared by two. Floor space is minimal. Toilets can be next to the bed. It’s not conducive to a living environment. So unlock time reaches fever pitch.

On the wings you hear every sound imaginable. A fine line between frenzied excitement and something more sinister. Staff have their wits about them.

Violence

VIOLENCE: treated image for online story about an anonymous serving prison governor talking about the conditions inside one of the country's crowded jails

You’d expect jail to be violent by its very nature as an institution. But this is constant. Every day. And it’s getting worse.

Across the estate prisoner on prisoner assaults increased by 16% in the year to March. Assaults on staff increased by 24%. I couldn’t wholeheartedly say staff are safe at work, and at times they dread coming in. They’re leaving the landing in tears. They’re overwhelmed.

The availability of weapons heightens it. And they can be anything. A broken piece of furniture, a razor blade, a kettle of boiling water. Even plastic cutlery. Witnessing the aftermath of attacks with these kind of instruments is very difficult. But you can’t totally eradicate them.

If the day passes where there’s been no violence or incidents of self harm we’d consider it a good day.

Finding a prisoner who has cut themselves is traumatic. Yes you raise the alarm, you summon help from the health team. But in that moment a prison officer’s assistance can be what stands between life and death.

Sometimes there is no warning – staff might find a prisoner who has taken their own life. You might have been the last to see them, locking up the night before.

You might have had a purposeful conversation with them. And the next time you see them – they’ve taken their own life. That is not just another prisoner. It’s a human being you might have got to know very well.

Drugs

DRUGS: treated image for online story about an anonymous serving prison governor talking about the conditions inside one of the country's crowded jails

The Chief Inspector of Prisons noted in his report earlier this month that illicit drugs were of concern in “too many” prisons.

You can smell them on the wings. You’re more likely to smell them than see them because most of the abuse of drugs takes place behind cell doors. The amount of time prisoners spend behind them lends itself to it – making the passage of time easier.

The threat from drones bringing drugs into prisons has never been as acute as it is today. In order to get them in, prisoners will try to game the system – sometimes with threats and intimidation – to be housed in cells more convenient for accessing them from the outside.

Psychoactive substances have had massive repercussions within the prison environment. Previously rational prisoners take on a virtual personality change. It really does change them. The addiction, though, is such that they just cannot stop.

Early release

EARLY RELEASE: treated image for online story about an anonymous serving prison governor talking about the conditions inside one of the country's crowded jails

Thousands of people were released from across the prison estate last week after serving 40% of their sentence, in order to free up space. Next month we’ll see thousands more do the same.

Irrespective of what stage of their sentence people are released, there will always be those you fear will go on to re-offend. There weren’t many prisoners that I either spoke to or saw released that were talking about this as a golden opportunity to turn their life around.

I worry we’ve pushed the policy through rather quickly, and have concerns about the external infrastructure in place to support them. Releasing prisoners without anywhere to live is only going to go one way.

Which begs the question – are we doing the right thing by these individuals or are we just setting them up to fail to make sure we’ve increased some prison spaces?

If a large proportion of those we’ve released end up coming back, then we haven’t really achieved anything.

Future

CONDITIONS: treated image for online story about an anonymous serving prison governor talking about the conditions inside one of the country's crowded jails

If we’re serious about reducing the prison population we need to look at sentencing guidelines for certain offences. This has been topical recently, with high profile cases where we’ve seen people going to prison for cyber-related offences, comments on social media.

Prison needs to be for serious and organised crime, for violent offences.

These will be decisions that need to be made above my pay grade.

If we don’t get it right, and if we don’t review it, then I think the danger is – particularly for the younger generation – they may come to prison for relatively innocuous misdemeanours, and leave with ideas and associations that will take crime to an altogether different level.

And the reaction?

Responding to the points raised by the prison governor, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This government inherited a prison system in crisis – putting pressure on the entire justice system and ultimately the public at risk.

“We are taking the difficult but necessary action to make sure we can keep locking up dangerous criminals and keep people safe.

“We thank all our staff for their hard work and we will continue to drive improvements in our prisons to help more offenders turn their back on crime.”

The government insists emergency early release measures to deal with overcrowding form only part of their plan to reform the prison system. In the longer term they say they will look at building further cell spaces, review their approach to sentencing and increase the number of probation officers.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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Big benefits cuts are imminent – here’s what to expect and why it could be just the start

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Big benefits cuts are imminent - here's what to expect and why it could be just the start

Those with “milder mental health” issues and “lower-level physical conditions” could see their disability benefits cut, as the government looks to shave £6bn off the welfare bill.

Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, is expected to target sickness and disability benefit payments for savings on Tuesday, which comes ahead of the spring statement next Wednesday.

Politics latest: Welfare reforms ‘imminent’

Her welfare reform green paper will arrive after Downing Street insisted there is a “moral and an economic case for fixing our broken system”.

Government figures argue the rising sickness and disability bill, which has ballooned since the pandemic, is unsustainable and will “leave the welfare state losing legitimacy” in the eyes of the wider public if not dealt with.

The cuts come as the chancellor eyes a hole in the public finances on the back of lower than expected growth and rising borrowing costs, with the £9.9bn headroom she had at the budget in October now wiped out.

Rachel Reeves’ self-imposed fiscal rules mean day-to-day government spending must be covered by tax revenue by 2029-30, which leaves her needing billions of pounds in spending cuts (after ruling out further tax rises, her other option).

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Welfare reforms will ensure ‘trust in system’

What changes should we expect?

Ms Kendall is expected to target personal independence payments (PIP) – one of the main forms of disability benefits for those with long-term illnesses or disabilities – amid a spike in claimants.

The PIP bill has grown from £13.7bn a year before the pandemic to £21.8bn in the current financial year, and is set to increase to £34.1bn by the end of the decade.

The number of people claiming this disability benefit is projected to more than double from two million to 4.3 million.

The work and pensions secretary will tell MPs that Labour will protect those who have a serious condition and can’t work, and the government’s rowed back from plans to freeze PIP payments after backlash from its backbench MPs.

These payments are now expected to rise in line with inflation, but the eligibility criteria will be tightened to whittle back the number of people eligible to claim.

One government figure told me it would result in some conditions, such as “milder mental health” or “lower-level physical conditions”, being ineligible for PIP.

But they stressed that those with more severe conditions and who are never going to be able to work would be protected and cared for.

Read more:
Which benefits could be cut?

Why Labour MPs are so uncomfortable

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Why is there a surge in youth unemployment?

The key principles driving reforms

The changes are likely to draw criticism from some MPs, though one senior Labour source said they didn’t think there would be any ministerial resignations over the benefit announcements.

Another Labour figure told me they would be “massively shocked” if there were resignations.

However, a number of Labour MPs have voiced their concerns, as has the Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

In a bid to assuage MPs, the work and pensions secretary is also expected to earmark £1bn of savings into employment support programmes as she frames the reforms around three clear principles.

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The first will be to prevent people from falling into long-term economic inactivity with a better support offer to get people back into work quickly.

The second will be to change the incentive systems to move people away from welfare dependency.

This could see Ms Kendall slash the highest level of incapacity benefit for working age people who have an illness or disability that limits their ability to work, while increasing the basic rate of support for those out of work (universal credit).

This is because the lower level of unemployment benefit has led to more people claiming for additional incapacity and disability benefits, while disincentivising them to try to find work.

The government will also announce a “right to try” scheme, allowing those on incapacity benefits to try returning to work without the risk of losing their benefits, as happens in the current system.

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Will there be a backlash over benefits?

‘I don’t think they go far enough’

But with one in 10 working age people claiming sickness benefits, and one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, the reforms on Tuesday could be just the start of bigger changes – and potentially bigger political battles.

The cost of long-term sickness and disability benefits for working-age people has risen by about £20bn since the pandemic to about £48bn, and is forecast to hit almost £100bn by 2030.

“People are trapped on benefits and the bill is getting out of hand,” said one government figure.

“We are currently spending more than three times the annual policing bill on these benefits. It’s getting out of hand.

“I don’t think the reforms go far enough, and I don’t think people have clocked the size of the numbers going on here.”

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Police searching for missing Cardiff woman launch murder investigation

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Police searching for missing Cardiff woman launch murder investigation

Detectives searching for a Cardiff woman who has been missing since last summer have launched a murder investigation.

Three arrests have previously been made in connection with the disappearance of Charlene Hobbs.

Charlene Hobbs. Pic: South Wales Police
Image:
Pic: South Wales Police

Crimestoppers is now offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

The last confirmed sighting of the 36-year-old, from Riverside, was a photograph taken on a mobile phone at a house in Broadway in the Adamsdown area of the city on 24 July last year.

Ms Hobbs, who has a distinctive dragon tattoo on her back, had her hair in a bun and was wearing a dark strapless top when the photo was taken.

The day before she was last seen, she was captured on CCTV at a Morrisons Local in Adamsdown.

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CCTV released in the search for Ms Hobbs

In a statement released through South Wales Police, Ms Hobbs’ family said: “We still hope that Charlene can be found safe and well.

“We are grateful for the support of Crimestoppers and the reward to help us find her, and hope that this will help people to come forward with information about what has happened to Charlene.”

Charlene Hobbs in a property in Broadway (left) and in Morrissons Local, Adamsdown (right). Pic: South Wales Police.
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Ms Hobbs at a property in Broadway, Adamsdown, left, and at a Morrisons Local in the area, right. Pics: South Wales Police

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Powell said: “We have always been determined to find Charlene alive and return her to her family, but despite a huge number of enquiries we have no proof that Charlene is alive.

“While I have always maintained an open mind, the lack of evidence that Charlene is alive means that we are now treating her disappearance as a murder investigation.

“We have spoken to more than 250 people, either known to Charlene or from areas where she is known to frequent, and no one can tell us where Charlene is or that she is alive, which of course we, her family and friends desperately want to hear.

“Several of those we have spoken to believe that she has died but no one has been able to provide any specific details.”

Read more from Sky News:
Lucy Letby: What we have learnt from the public inquiry
British woman missing in Thailand after diving boat fire

Police searching for Charlene Hobbs. Pic: South Wales Police
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Extensive searches have taken place for the missing 36-year-old. Pic: South Wales Police

Open land searches continue.  Pic: South Wales Police
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Pic: South Wales Police

Detectives and specialist search teams are continuing with extensive efforts to find Ms Hobbs and determine the circumstances around her disappearance.

DCI Powell added: “I still firmly believe that answers lie in the community, and that someone out there holds key information that will help us find Charlene.”

A 45-year-old man arrested in connection with the investigation remains on police bail.

A 43-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman have been released without charge.

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Decades on the beach – sex offender Richard Burrows’ life in hiding

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Decades on the beach - sex offender Richard Burrows' life in hiding

In Thailand, Richard Burrows found an escape – a place to hide for nearly 30 years.

After abusing children, he fled the UK to avoid prosecution. But the severity of his crimes didn’t push him to live a low-profile life – far from it.

In the sandy shores of Phuket, he became very well known and liked. Everyone there knew him as Peter Smith, an identity he stole from a passport that wasn’t his.

No one appeared to know where he had gone after he failed to attend the start of his trial over alleged child sex offences at Chester Crown Court in 1997.

His abuse spanned a wide period from the 1960s to the 1990s. Some of the offences occurred at a children’s school in Cheshire and others happened in the Midlands, through his involvement with the scouts.

But it would take 27 years for him to be caught, finally arrested at Heathrow Airport.

Richard Burrows asia feature -
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Richard Burrows was put on trial after years in Thailand

He had settled in Thailand with a familiar routine and a wide circle of acquaintances. He would regularly dine at a small roadside restaurant, often ordering fish and chips.

The owner Pakorn Sanwongwan says the man they knew was kind and generous. They had no idea of his past.

“I’m very shocked because from my perspective, he was a good person. For the past 24 years he had recommended our restaurant to lots of people and brought us new customers,” he said.

His wife Supaporn says they were shocked when just a few months ago he announced he was “going to the UK and never coming back”.

It’s easy to see how many people were duped. He kept the reality of what he’d done largely hidden. And his was not a life lived under the radar.

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Victim speaks out over sex attacker

He was involved in the local sailing community. His friends say he’d worked with local schools. And he’d worked in local media.

Burrows lived in a container, a short drive from the coastline. But things started to unravel when money ran thin.

He began opening up to a very small number of close friends, saying he needed to return to the UK to see family and was struggling financially.

“Ben”, not his real name, was among those close confidantes.

He said: “I knew him for 25 years. Only about three to four years ago, he started sort of revealing a few things that he’s not actually who his passport says he is and that he was searched by the UK authorities for some allegations, apparently, he’s done.”

Ben says he had no idea of the severity of the charges against him. The man he thought he knew was a kind soul, giving and supportive of many he met.

There were, he says, signs of his attraction to young people, but it didn’t raise alarm bells.

“Peter” had younger companions who cooked for him at home and he would finance the education of some of them, Ben told us.

“Obviously it was visible that he liked the younger generation. But that he would go for minors I would never have thought,” he said.

Richard Burrows asia feature -
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The container where Burrows lived in Thailand

All of the offences were committed during Burrows’ time in the United Kingdom, and no charges have been brought against him in Thailand.

If Ben knew the details of Burrows’ sordid past, he may have thought differently. But Burrows was living a lie, enjoying a secret life in the sun.

Remarkably, Burrows went undetected for decades – his visa based on a fake passport, consistently renewed.

It’s unclear what exactly motivated his attempt to move back to the UK, a move that would end in his arrest at Heathrow.

Some we spoke to said he had run out of money and that he wanted to see family. But some suspected he was trying to make peace with his past.

Finally, he has been brought to justice. But his victims were left to deal with the horrific aftermath of his abuse.

Whilst he is now behind bars, they will also have to wrestle with the fact their abuser was able to enjoy a free and full life for so long.

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