Bronzefield is UK's largest women prison.
On this page you will learn what the present day healthcare in prisons look like in the United Kingdom.
In 2019, UK inspectors found that ten out of thirty five men’s prisons weren’t meeting minimum standards of cleanliness and infection control compliance. According to reports, most of these prisons who failed to meet standards had a long list of faulty issues such as leaking roofs, failing heating systems, broken cell windows, and rat infestations.
Outside the Wandsworth Prison
Struggles dealing with budget cuts, short staffing and no new renovations to the building leaving more than two inmates in a cell which can get extremely crowded. As an inmate you spend so much time in your cell limiting yourself to getting physical activity. 40% of prisoners reported spending less than 2 hours a day outside of their cell. Being short staffed means these prisoners will not be able to get out of their cells as much because no one will be able to watch over them. Due to COVID, England prisons forced their prisoners to stay in their cells 23 hours a day to prevent the spread of the disease. This is a huge risk on one's mental health and stability.
Litter stacking up outside the Liverpool Prison.
Measures have also been introduced to reduce the flow and spread of new cases into prisons. That is challenging from the outset, however, as there isn’t space to put everyone in single cell accommodation. At some prisons, temporary cells have been added outside in an attempt to alleviate the pressure on existing cell space. Management of the virus also needs to be considered alongside the mental and physical health impact on prisoners. Prior to Covid, self-harm rates in prison were high, and increasing. There were over 63,000 incidents of self-harm in 2019, which was a rise of 14% on the previous year. In comparison to the United States, suicide is the leading cause of deaths in the UK. One prison noted they had five suicides in a six day period.
Another look outside the Wandsworth Prison.
In 2017-18, prisoners had 24% fewer inpatient admissions and outpatient attendances than the equivalent age and sex demographic in the wider population, and 45% fewer attendances at the emergency room. With COVID, there is an even larger restriction on leaving the prison, creating more and more ongoing health issues.