HMP Lewes Covid measures 'not humane', says watchdog

Some Covid-19 restrictions at a Sussex prison were "not humane", an annual prison report has found.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said some inmates at HMP Lewes were let out of cells for only 30 minutes a day.

However, it said rules to protect prisoners during the pandemic had been "fairly successful" and Covid outbreaks had been "contained quickly".

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said prisoners had spent more time out of cells since restrictions were lifted.

The IMB report, which looked at conditions between February 2021 and January 2022, said: "We do not consider that the regime during this year has been humane.

"For more than two months at least, the planned regime allowed prisoners to be unlocked for just half an hour a day and the 'best' regime during the year, while giving some prisoners around four hours out of their cells a day, still restricted prisoners without work or education to an hour unlocked from their cells."

The IMB did recognise that leadership at HMP Lewes had been "severely restricted" because of public health requirements during the pandemic.

But it raised other concerns about daily self-harm, an increase in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and poor facilities on site.

In a statement the MoJ said: "Our actions during the pandemic kept staff and prisoners safe, and we are pleased the report recognised efforts from HMP Lewes staff to keep the prison running despite its impact.

"As restrictions have been lifted prisoners have spent more time out of cells and services are being restored as soon as it is safe to do so."

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