Prison segregation units are a breeding ground for mental health problems
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Version 0 of 1. A new report by the Prison Reform Trust sheds light on a little-known area of incarceration: segregation units and close supervision centres (CSCs). These are prisons within prisons, generally located deep inside the main body of a jail. Segregation units, often known colloquially as the seg or the block, are where the most intense time is served, with 23 hours out of every 24 spent in solitary confinement. Related: We don’t need new prisons, we need a new prison culture | Erwin James Troublesome prisoners may receive their food through a hatch in the door, and if the weather is “inclement” they are unlikely to get the minimum hour’s exercise in fresh air, as stipulated by the UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. CSCs usually have a more open regime, in which small numbers of prisoners are separated from the main population but have access to educational and other facilities. When in segregation, visits take place in a room where prisoners and visitors are separated by a glass panel. Unlike the main wing, in which phone conversations are monitored at random, every call is listened to. As a prisoner the closest I ever came to experiencing life in a CSC was over 30 years ago, when I was held on remand in a unit in Brixton prison known as A Seg, created to hold only a dozen or so category-A prisoners at a time. Cat As are deemed to be the most dangerous prisoners in the system and though it is no honour to be categorised as such, paradoxically, life in that unit was calmer and less dangerous than it was in the chaotic main wings. Staff attitudes were generally positive and helpful, though some of us were among the highest-profile prisoners in the country. Kenneth Noye, the “road rage killer” now serving life, was a neighbour. Noye was on remand, accused and later cleared of murdering a policeman. Charlie Wilson, one of the Great Train Robbers, was another – he too was acquitted at his trial of involvement in organised crime, only to be shot dead later in a gangland-style execution in Spain. An alleged hit-man and a clutch of suspected spies made up most of the rest of my associates. All of us were grateful for the relative peace we were allowed to live in for the time we were there. That’s why I wasn’t surprised to hear that many of the segregated prisoners had engineered a move to the seg, according to the study. The aims of seeking out segregation for those interviewed included seeking relief from pressures on the wing (for example, wanting to get away from drugs), gaining direct access to managers to voice problems, or to avoid risks of violence from other prisoners. The PRT study’s findings are based on a survey, distributed to all prisons, and on visits to 15 prisons, including 14 segregation units and four CSCs. The authors interviewed 25 managers, 49 officers, 50 prisoners in segs and 17 in CSCs. They found that the average time a prisoner spends in a CSC is 40 months. Of the regular prisoners in segregation units, 71% spent fewer than 14 days, 20% spent between 14 and 42 days, and 9% were segregated for more than 84 days. Related: Fair societies don’t treat prisoners like animals | Kevin McKenna The longest-serving segregated prisoner is Charles Salvador, formerly known as Charles Bronson. The lifer, currently in Wakefield prison’s CSC, has spent more than 35 years in a variety of CSCs and segregation units because of his propensity for hostage-taking and other acts of unpredictable violence. Isolation has not stymied Salvador’s ability to create art, which he sells for charity, and despite his extreme confinement has had at least a dozen books published, including Loonyology and Solitary Fitness. But life in the seg isn’t so positive for all. Over half of the prisoners interviewed reported multiple mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, anger management, concentration issues, insomnia and an increased risk of self-harm. While this survey didn’t measure rates of mental health problems in the wider prison population, by way of comparison a Ministry of Justice study reported that 23% of male prisoners were assessed as suffering from anxiety and depression. Almost half of the officers interviewed by the PRT said that they would benefit from more mental health training, and that further training should be offered. Over two-thirds of the officers interviewed said “most” or “the vast majority” of segregated prisoners had mental health needs. Ten years into my sentence, I was trained by the Samaritans to offer a non-judgmental ear to fellow prisoners in distress. The most frequent callouts were to the seg, where I encountered some of the most vulnerable people in the system, who self-harmed, swallowed metal objects or spoke to imaginary friends. Prisons will always need segregation units but while they may offer some refuge and respite for those who struggle with mainstream prison life, the propensity of mental health issues of those kept in such confinement is cause for serious concern. |