By any objective measure, our prisons are in crisis. Inspection reports reveal unacceptable conditions with reports of vermin, violence, self-harm and of people languishing in overcrowded cells. At the same time, too many people leave prison without the support they need to make a fresh start.
Prisons have endured years of budget cuts, whilst locking up more and more people for longer and longer. Many of the people who work in our prisons are nothing short of heroic. Where prisons do succeed it is because of these hidden heroes who go above and beyond, in spite of the conditions in which they work and the huge challenges they face.
