If these transfers have happened as people claim they have, that is in order to hoodwink the Prisons Inspectorate then its a sinister abuse of position - but I'm not surprised in the least that its happened.
The job of a prison governor these days is a pretty thankless one, our crumbling Victorian prisons contain inmate numbers they were never designed to house, trying to exist in an era they were frankly never built to see, where staff numbers and financial budgets have been slashed so much that safety, security and control are now so under threat the Prison Governors Association said only last week they could blow at any time - and its in that kind of atmosphere where it's tempting for any governor faced with an inspection where his whole career may rest on its outcome, to give in to pressures and, by sleight of hand, present the jail in the best light - take Parkhurst prison for example.
Last December the Chief Inspector visited Parkhurst and was shocked to discover disabled inmates who had not showered for between six months and a year because prison staff both refused to push wheelchairs without training and, when training was offered, they refused it.
Following that inspection the whole management team at Parkhurst were shifted sideways and a new management team was brought in, as far as we know prior to the Parkhurst inspection transfers out do not seem to have happened - but I defy anyone to say they cannot understand why any governor faced with that situation might not want those wheelchair bound inmates around, when the inspectors come calling - their careers could be ruined forever.
Oh dear! Poor prison Governors. It's a thankless task!
ReplyDeleteYou have sold out. But, your business is about to take a dive. Who will want to buy the Prisons Handbook when Inside Information is published on 11 November 2009?