- 15/09/2016
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: News
On Thursday 15 September 2016, I chaired a Westminster Hall Debate on Prison Safety.
Robert Neill MP, Chair of the Justice Committee, moved the debate and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Sam Gyimah MP responded.
The debate covered self-inflicted deaths, self-harm, homicides and assaults in prison in England and Wales, which are all on the rise. The most recent Ministry of Justice statistics show that Statistics show levels of mental ill health and distress in prison that are higher than those in the general population.
The Minister said the Government had put in £10 million investment to deal with prison safety issues secured under the previous Secretary of State. Mr Gyimah said that this “has been distributed to the prisons that are experiencing the worst levels of violence. Over the coming weeks and months, we will provide more information on how that is working for our prison system.”
The debate considered House of Commons Justice Committee’s report on Prison Safety which you can view here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmjust/625/625.pdf