Court cell policy condemned

The prisons watchdog has condemned the use of court cells to house inmates because of the jail overcrowding crisis.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said the policy of keeping inmates in court buildings for up to a whole weekend raised serious concerns for the safe and decent treatment of prisoners.

She found facilities were inadequate and some prisoners in the middle of a trial had to reappear in court wearing clothes they had slept in.

Inspectors visited a court custody suite at West London magistrates' court earlier this year when hundreds of inmates were being housed in court cells because jails were full.

They commended staff for trying to provide the best possible care but said courts should not be used for overnight or weekend detention.

In a statement, Ms Owers and Inspector of Courts Administration Eddie Bloomfield said: "In spite of the considerable efforts of staff, this inspection raised serious concerns for the safe and decent treatment of prisoners."

They added: "Court cells will never be an appropriate place to hold prisoners for anything but a short period, and the underlying message of this report is that they should not be used for overnight, still less weekend, stays.

"However, if such an emergency recurs it is essential that all the agencies responsible ensure that systems and procedures are in place to provide the maximum support at this vulnerable time."

Offenders were kept in a number of court cells earlier this summer as the prison population in England and Wales soared to record levels, but the situation was temporarily eased by the introduction of an early release scheme.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We used court cells as a measure of last resort when accommodation in prison and police cells was exhausted due to exceptional prison population pressures. We have not used them since 20 June."

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.