Fire Alert

 

Surprising perhaps given the pressure on prisons that today’s alert to the Lord Chancellor about the appalling outcomes at HMP Swaleside is only the second such urgent notification (UN) about an adult prison this year. But it’s another shocking report none the less.

The Chief Inspector has found dangerously unsafe conditions for prisoners and staff at the Kent prison with very high levels of violence affecting every aspect of life there. Three-quarters of prisoners reported having felt unsafe with a third saying they’d been physically assaulted. No wonder Charlie Taylor identified a pervasive sense of despair among prisoners “many of whom felt hopeless, helpless and afraid”.

One particularly concerning finding is the “exceptionally high” number of cell fires with inspectors witnessing fire damage alongside more familiar graffiti, broken furniture, and mouldy showers.

Earlier this year, Ministers revealed that in 2024 Swaleside had 116 fires, second only to HMP Forest Bank. The UN reads as if the number might have increased this year.

This would be a major surprise as the prison has been trialling a safer vape pen since April at least. According to the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate, (CPFSI), 95% of prison fires are started deliberately with vapes responsible for causing more than two thirds of them. CPFSI is optimistic that the new safer vape pen will prove a “significant advancement in prison safety” when it’s rolled out. According to their latest annual report the device hasn’t been linked to any fires in the eight prisons where its being trialled- including Swaleside.

So what has been causing the fires there this year?

Charlie Taylor says not enough work has been done to understand the causes of prison fires at Swaleside, but that’s true across the board. While the Urgent Notification suggests many priorities for the jail, preventing fires should be one of them. Six years ago Christian Hinkley  died of smoke inhalation in his cell at Swaleside and before and since then,  the CPFSI has issued a series of enforcement notices on the prison so that it complies with fire safety regulations.

When David Lammy responds to the UN in January, I look forward to seeing what action he’ll take to ensure it does so.