Measuring the pandemic's impact on our prisons

What is the legacy of the covid pandemic in our country’s prisons? Prisoners have been rocked by a series of traumatic experiences in the past two years, experiencing the loss of visits, movement, meaningful activities and even basic hygiene, but what has that meant for their wellbeing, their chances of release, their lived experience, and their sanity? A new piece of research shines a light on just how serious conditions became; in it, over 1400 respondents testify to their experiences. A picture emerges in which over 85% of prisoners were locked in their cells for more than 23 hours a day. The report finds that one in three prisoners today shows symptoms of sever anxiety disorder. (You can read their study, Coping With Covid in Prison, here.)

One of the most debilitating and impactful aspects of this period has been the lack of provision for meaningful and rehabilitative activities: gyms, chapels and classrooms across the country were shuttered, leaving people with no opportunity to stay healthy, to access support in times of crisis, or to learn. Crucially, in a parole context, this has also meant they have had little chance to take part in the rehabilitation activities that are required to progress their sentences, further impacting the sense of loss, of being forgotten, of having no form of release and no way out.

The stress and alienation experienced by prisoners has also been partially precipitated by a staffing and resource crisis. The pressure that the pandemic has exerted on prison staff has been extreme, causing the loss of many key experienced staff, and hampering some prisons’ capacity to move out of special measures and return to pre-pandemic patterns of work and service provision. The Crito Project’s repeated attempts to restart face-to-face teaching over the past year at HMP Wayland are a testament to that fact.

We’re happy to say that the Crito Project will soon be restarting face-to-face teaching, and we’re so excited to be in a new partnership with a new prison, but we can’t forget that the legacy of the pandemic on the wider system will be felt by those who live and who work within it for years to come.

To hear from User Voice and their incredible work in bringing a voice to the crisis in our prisons, watch their video below.