Source: Daily Telegraph
Contact: et.letters@telegraph.co.uk

Jail staff 'ignore drug abuse and overt lesbianism'
By Nigel Bunyan

PRISON officers at a women's jail were accused yesterday of ignoring some
inmates' overt drugtaking and subjection of other inmates to sexual assault.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Sir David Ramsbotham, said complaints of
such activities had been made to his team during an inspection of Styal,
Cheshire, last November. Some women at the prison the second largest
closed jail for women in the country had been subjected to "serious
sexual assaults" as other inmates searched them for drugs. There was also
evidence of inmates switching from cannabis to harder drugs because they
regarded these as more difficult to detect during mandatory tests.

In his 80page report, Sir David said that when his inspectors questioned
Styal inmates they had claimed that "overt lesbian activity and drug use by
some prisoners was ignored by staff".

Even though only a relatively low number of random drug tests proved
positive, both prisoners and staff suspected that the true level of abuse
was higher. Sir David said research was needed to resolve the discrepancy.

One inmate told his inspectors: "For women here on drugs offences it isn't
a deterrent. Women are very adept at getting the drugs in. Some girls come
in clean and go out addicted."

Despite his criticisms, Sir David observed that conditions at Styal had
improved since it was last inspected three years ago by the then Chief
Inspector of Prisons, Judge Stephen Tumim.

At that time Judge Tumim said some women arrived as shoplifters and left as
drug addicts. By contrast, Sir David's inspection had found a positive
atmosphere and a sense of purpose. He detailed 25 areas of good practice,
including the establishment of three drugfree units for women wishing to
break the habit.

He also commended the setting up of a suicide awareness committee and
described the system for receiving and discharging inmates as good, with
"excellent" interaction with staff. Prison staff were taking a "proactive,
positive and committed approach" to bullying.

"Staff may feel justifiably proud of the developments that have taken place
over the last few years," Sir David said.

The prison's governor, Madeleine Moulden, rejected the allegation that
either drugtaking or sexual activity between inmates was tolerated by staff.

"This has come from anecdotal evidence from a group of anonymous prisoners
and I have no way of checking it," she said. "I absolutely reject the
allegations that staff would allow these activities to go on if they knew
about them. The staff here are very much behind our antidrugs policy."

Mrs Moulden, who took over the running of Styal three months ago, said she
was very pleased with the way staff were working and with the way the
prison was run. But she added: "I won't be happy until there is nobody
using drugs within the prison."

Richard Tilt, the director general of the Prison Service, said: "The
positive attitude of staff has been instrumental in the wholesale
improvements that have been documented at Styal."

Mark Leech, the editor of the Prisons Handbook, said yesterday that the
inspectors at Styal had turned a "blind eye" to the black market trade in
drugfree urine.

"The congratulations of the Chief Inspector for the three 'drugfree units'
at Styal ignores this trade," he said. "Since mandatory drug testing of
prisoners was introduced, samples of drugfree urine have become a saleable
commodity in our prisons."

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.