Prisoners 'used like pawns on a chess board'

Prison chiefs have come in for severe criticism after it was discovered vulnerable prisoners seriously injured themselves after being deliberately transferred to avoid inspections.

Inspectors at Pentonville and Wandsworth prisons found managers had 'swapped' a small number of prisoners for the duration of their respective inspections.

Alarmingly, inspectors also established two of the Wandsworth prisoners had self-harmed as a consequence.

A report by the chief inspector of prisons said three prisoners from the segregation unit and two from the vulnerable prisoners' wing were told the weekend before the inspection they would be moved to Pentonville.

Moving two of the prisoners meant they missed appointments for serious medical conditions and as a result both were so distressed by the swap they ended up self-harming.

One, with a previous history of self-harm, was so distressed he tied a ligature round his neck, cut himself and had to be forcibly removed from his cell by prison staff.

The prisoner was taken to the reception, bloody, handcuffed and dressed only in his underwear. He then attempted self-harm a further three times immediately after his move to Pentonville, the inspectors discovered.

The other prisoner took an overdose of prescription drugs and required hospital treatment.

Shockingly, he was still transferred to Pentoville in a taxi after leaving hospital.

All the men were finally returned to Wandsworth immediately after the inspection was over.

Chief inspector of prisons, Dame Anne Owers, described the actions of both prisons as 'irresponsible, pointless and potentially dangerous'.

'Sadly for the many staff and managers who had worked hard to improve the two prisons, their efforts will inevitably be overshadowed by these events,' she said.

'Instead, the inspections will be remembered for the unacceptable attempts, at managerial level, to subvert the inspection process at the expense of prisoners' wellbeing.

'This is deplorable, not only because of the effects on individuals, but because of the underlying mind-set: that prisoners are merely pieces to be moved around the board to meet performance targets or burnish the reputation of the prison.

'Both the actual consequences and the approach that gave rise to them are necessarily reflected in our assessments. This should never happen again; and it is welcome, though it should not have been necessary, that the director general of the national offender management service has instructed governors to that effect.'

The National Offender Management Service immediately ordered its own investigation into the events after they came to light.

The investigation reportedly resulted in disciplinary proceedings.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons also revealed the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is concurrently investigating the self-inflicted death of another prisoner, who was not part of the transfer, but who was moved to Pentonville from Wandsworth, following a court appearance, in the week before the inspection.

The prisoner remained at Pentonville for the duration of an inspection, returning to Wandsworth in the same van as the transferred prisoners.

Commenting on the revelations, Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: 'The integrity of the prison service and the independence of our prisons inspectorate are respected worldwide, so any actions that lead to prisoners being used as pawns in a game to undermine these institutions must be thoroughly investigated.

'The dangerous and damaging dereliction of the duty of care to prisoners, and the lack of honesty and openness to the inspectorate, are profoundly disappointing to all those wanting decent, safe and effective prisons.

'This attempt to undermine the inspection process raises stark questions about whether all future prison inspections should be unannounced.'