Overcrowding, understaffing and old IT: chaotic context to prison release errors

Mistaken releases from HMP Wandsworth should come as little surprise given near-impossible circumstances If anyone was surprised at the idea that a single prison could accidentally release two people within a matter of days, then a brief glimpse at an inspection report for HMP Wandsworth from last year would very soon explain things.Despite a high-profile escape from the south London jail only months earlier, conditions were so chaotic at the time of the inspection that most staff could not reliably say where all prisoners were during the day, Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, reported with obvious near disbelief. Continue reading...