PRISON OFFICERS IGNORE DRUG ABUSERS IN 'DIRTIEST' JAIL

Prison officers turned a blind eye to drug dealing and abuse in an
overcrowded jail plagued by addiction among inmates, a report shows. It
calls for urgent action by ministers to tackle chronic problems at The
Mount, where soaring numbers of inmates use illegal substances and staff
are struggling to cope with disruptive, mentally ill prisoners.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) warns that levels of drug use at the
jail near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, are "appalling", and increasing,
with up to 23 per cent of tests for drugs proving positive, almost three
times the prison service target.

It says: "Staffing levels have not been adequate to enable rigorous
drug-testing of prisoners. Further, the staffing shortages seem to have
occasioned a tolerance of the levels of supply and use in the prison."

In its annual report on The Mount, the IMB said the jail should set up a
detoxification programme and improve searches of visitors and vehicles.
"There have been concerns through the year that the drug strategy is not
working," it warns. "It is unrealistic to call any wing drug-free."

The Mount, built on the site of a former Royal Air Force station, holds 760
inmates, some 55 above its recommended population, and including 28 lifers.
"There is continued overcrowding at The Mount, as in the rest of the
system," the IMB said. "This results in an increasing number of prisoners
who are volatile, require large amounts of staff time, or are mentally ill,
being allocated to the prison. These prisoners are unsuitable for the
regime at the Mount, its staff profile or the level of medical cover
available. Their presence continues to drain depleted staff resources."

The IMB says it was the dirtiest prison any of its member had visited in
the past year and its regime was "generally poor". It adds: "Less than four
hours a day purposeful activity, reductions in time out of cell, slipping
lunch-times, together with the scruffy appearance of parts of the
establishment give cause for concern."

The report acknowledges that many of the problems can be traced to the
difficulties in recruiting and retaining officers in an area with high
house prices and low unemployment. But it adds: "Staff shortages have
become a permanent feature of life at The Mount and an excuse for every
problem. The board finds this unacceptable."

A Prison Service spokesman said there had been success in fighting drug
trafficking. But he added: "The establishment has been consistently 15 to
18 discipline officers short of its full complement, which affects its
ability to deliver aspects of the regime, including regular mandatory testing."