Men, women and children should not be transported between courts and prisons in the same vehicles, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. He added that a greater use of virtual courts and video link would mean fewer escort journeys had to take place. Today he published a thematic report, Transfers and Escorts within the Criminal Justice System.

The report is the fourth that HM Inspectorate of Prisons has produced since 2004 that attempts to describe what happens to people inside prison vans. It draws on findings from police, court and Secure Training Centre (STC) inspections, as well as inspections of prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs) and an analysis of data that has been provided to HMI Prisons by escort services.

Between October 2013 and September 2014 there were 818,168 escorted journeys of men, women and children provided by Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) at a cost of £128.2 million, and 3,962 escorts of younger or more vulnerable children to or from STCs, provided by Secure Escort Services for Children and Young People (SESCYP) in a four-year contract costing £9.1 million. PECS are currently provided by GeoAmey and Serco Wincanton and SESCYP by Serco. Researchers collected details on the 195,811 escort journeys undertaken between 1 November 2013 and 31 January 2014. Of these journeys, 79% involved adult men, 8% women, 10% young adults and 3% children. The great majority of journeys were to and from court.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

• PECS escort vans may carry a mixture of men, women and children and a screen should separate the different groups, but this was not always in place and even if it was, it did not stop shouted abuse;
• there are no seat belts and detainees complained of being thrown around in the van as it travelled;
• two-thirds of adult prisoners surveyed said the vans they travelled in were clean, but inspectors saw some that were dirty and covered in graffiti;
• few prisoners on longer journeys were offered a ‘comfort break’ to use the toilet and instead had to use a liquid absorbing gel-bag to use in their cell while the van was on the move;
• adult detainees were routinely cuffed on and off the vehicle, regardless of risk;
• only about two-thirds of prisoners said they were told where they were being taken, and sometimes this was for valid security reasons but often there was no good reason;
• because there are fewer women’s prisons and YOIs and STCs, women and children travelled longer distances than men, and because men’s prisons ‘lock out’, but women’s prisons and YOIs for under-18s do not, men were always dropped off first if travelling with women and boys;
• adult prisoners could have long waits in a van after it had arrived at a prison if reception was closed and at the height of summer, inspectors found prisoners left outside over lunchtime in dangerously stifling and hot vans for up to two hours;
• the Person Escort Records that should accompany all detainees and identify their risks on the journey and at their destination were poorly completed; and
• in some cases, children were returned to police custody when the court closed at the end of the day until an escort was available to take them to an STC.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

• detainees generally reported that escort staff treated them well, although those from minority groups were less positive;
• children moving to or from STCs were escorted under the SESCYP contract, often by taxi, and reported a better experience;
• children were routinely asked about their escort experience when they arrived at STC and sometimes at YOIs; and
• the use of virtual courts where hearings are conducted by video link is increasing and these obviate the need for escort journeys, which is welcome, but there is still work to do to better coordinate this.

Nick Hardwick said:

“Escorts are a critical part of the custodial process – for detainees new to custody and in particular for those, like children, who might be particularly vulnerable, the effectiveness with which the process is managed may allay or inflame tensions and fears. The two most important measures to improve this process are an end to the transport of men, women and children in the same vehicles and the better use of virtual courts. For good reason, great efforts are made to keep children, women and men separate in custody and it is wholly inappropriate that they are transported in the same vehicles. However they are organised, the escort experience is likely to be expensive and detrimental for the detainee. Much more should be done to increase the well-managed use of virtual courts and make the escort experience we describe here a much less frequent event.”

Notes to Editors:

1. Read the report.
2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. Please contact Jane Parsons in HMI Prisons Press Office on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview with Nick Hardwick or our researcher. We also have photos available from the report.