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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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The English town where almost a third of working-age people are economically inactive

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The English town where almost a third of working-age people are economically inactive

On a hilltop above Ashfield, a sculpture of a miner watches over the local towns.

In a part of Nottinghamshire with a proud mining heritage, almost a third of working-age people are now economically inactive.

It’s places like this where they’re bracing for the impact of welfare reform.

Holly, 17, who dropped out of college due to long term condition
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‘I practically live off’ personal independence payments, says Holly

A group of young people meet here in a local park. They’re among the UK’s almost a million so-called NEETS – people aged 16-24 not in employment, education or training.

Holly, 17, had to drop out of college for having too much time off and explained she has a long-term condition that makes her sick, as well as autism and ADHD.

“I’m still living with my parents but I’m also on PIP,” she says. She’s concerned that the government is expected to tighten eligibility for PIP – personal independence payments – as part of cuts to sickness and disability benefits.

“It shouldn’t happen because I practically live off of it,” she says. “I use it to get around – transport – because I struggle to get buses and trains and stuff so I get Ubers a lot which can be quite pricey.”

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A sculpture of a miner above Ashfield
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It’s places like Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, that are bracing for the government’s welfare reforms

She accepts that as a PIP claimant, she can work and says she’s been looking for jobs. “I do want to work,” she insists.

“It’s just the fact that I don’t know if I could work full time with it, and because I’m off sick a lot, I just don’t know if I’d be able to hold a job.”

It’s that concern that’s led her to pursue another option.

“I’m working on getting a fit note at the moment,” she says, referring to a note from her doctor that could lead to her being signed off.

Holly, 17, who dropped out of college due to long term condition
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‘Because I’m off sick a lot, I just don’t know if I’d be able to hold a job’

It would mean she’d get more money in benefits – around double the amount a jobseeker receives with no condition to look for work – but she’d then risk losing it if she got a job, a situation she believes is perverse.

“If you have a fit note then it tells you that you cannot work ever – you shouldn’t be looking for a job – which I think is wrong,” she says.

Other young people who are looking for jobs here say when they apply for work they often don’t hear back.

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Big benefits cuts are imminent – here’s what to expect

Pippa Carter, the director of the Inspire and Achieve Foundation, which works with more than 200 young people a year, says: “Mental health is the largest barrier with our young people.

“And COVID was an impact as well. They’re just not really able to get out of their rooms. They haven’t got that social confidence.

“And then if you then layer on top of that the benefits and welfare system… if they are signed off sick, for example, with their struggling mental health, they’re then stopped from trying to get employment and take steps forward.”

Pippa Carter, the director of the Inspire and Achieve Foundation
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Pippa Carter tells Sky News young people ‘haven’t got that social confidence’

Many here would welcome a system that gives more help to young people taking their first steps into the workplace.

However, others worry that changes to health-related benefits will push some of society’s most vulnerable people deeper into poverty.

A sculpture of a miner above Ashfield
Image:
It’s places like Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, that are bracing for the government’s welfare reforms

In the centre of Sutton in Ashfield, former care assistant Allison leans on a Zimmer frame as she walks along the high street.

Now 59, she says she was signed off sick with a range of health conditions around 15 years ago and claims PIP.

Recently, life has become a struggle. “We did use a food bank the other day for the first time, so degrading,” she says.

Former care assistant Allison, in Sutton, Ashfield
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Allison, almost 60, is afraid a cut to benefits would force her to use food banks ‘every week’

But she’s afraid that cuts to benefits would force her to rely on it.

“I’d be going there every week, I’d have to because I wouldn’t be able to survive.”

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King and Queen set to meet Pope next month despite pontiff’s ill health

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King and Queen set to meet Pope next month despite pontiff's ill health

The King and Queen’s planned state visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis will go ahead despite his continuing ill health.

The palace confirmed that King Charles has written privately to the pontiff since he was admitted to hospital in February, and the historic gathering is still scheduled to take place in Rome in early April.

A Buckingham Palace source said they had shared “our hopes and prayers that Pope Francis’s health will enable the visit to go ahead”, although they signalled that alterations would be made to the visit if needed.

Pope Francis at an audience at the Vatican in February. Pic: REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
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Pope Francis at an audience at the Vatican in February. Pic: Reuters

Pope Francis in the chapel of the apartment on the tenth floor of the Policlinico Gemelli. Pic: Holy See Press Office
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Pope Francis in the first photo released since the pontiff was admitted to hospital. Pic: Holy See Press Office

Outlining details of the planned meeting, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “On Tuesday 8 April, and clearly subject to Pope Francis’s health, their majesties will visit the Holy See to join Pope Francis in celebrating the 2025 jubilee.

“Held traditionally once every 25 years, the jubilee is a special year for the Catholic Church; a year of reconciliation, prayer and walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, which is the jubilee’s theme.

“The King and Queen will have an audience with Pope Francis. Their Majesties will also attend a service in the Sistine Chapel, focused on the theme of ‘care for creation’, reflecting Pope Francis’s and His Majesty’s long-standing commitment to nature.”

The tour, from 7 to 10 April, will include two state visits to Rome and Ravenna in Italy, and the Holy See – the government of the Roman Catholic Church – in the Vatican.

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Behind the scenes at the Vatican

Charles will pass two milestones, becoming the first British monarch to visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the resting place of St Paul since the reformation, and address both houses of Italy’s parliament.

The King will hold audiences with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the monarch and his wife will attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale.

At the weekend, the Vatican released the first photograph of the Pope since he was admitted to hospital on 14 February with a severe case of bronchitis, which developed into double pneumonia.

Medical staff said last week that the pontiff, 88, was no longer in a critical, life-threatening condition, but added that his condition remained complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung as a young man.

Other highlights of the April trip will see the UK and Italy’s defence co-operation recognised by a joint flypast over Rome by the Italian Air Force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows.

In Ravenna, near Bologna, Charles and Camilla will mark the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied forces on 10 April 1945, during a town hall reception.

The couple will also mark their 20th wedding anniversary on 9 April.

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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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