News

• Interview with chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers

Whoever followed in David Ramsbotham's footsteps was always going to have a lot to live up to, writes Clare Jerrom. During his five years as chief inspector of prisons, Ramsbotham earned a reputation for being "hard hitting," and "straight talking," and acquired the nickname of "Rambo" for his damning reports of prisons and young offenders institutions.

His successor is Anne Owers, the first female chief inspector of prisons. But while she acknowledges Ramsbotham's formidable reputation, she feels it is a positive thing: "In some ways he was an easy act to follow because actually you have a very good platform for continuing the process of reforming the prison system."

Owers refuses to comment on his departure - Ramsbotham claimed he was forced out in an "appallingly underhand way" - but says she will carry out the role as her predecessors have done, by telling it how it is.

"You have a responsibility to tell ministers and the prison service and to communicate to the general public what is actually going on, what is good, what needs to be improved on and what needs to be promoted - and that's my job," she says.

Owers joined the Prison Inspectorate in August from human rights organisation Justice where she had worked for nine years. To date, she has kept a relatively low media profile but has been busy inspecting and visiting 26 prisons, including three young offender institutions.

"The short answer about young offender institutions, and particularly those for 18- to 20-year-olds, is that they are not yet in a state where the prison service is happy with them and they are certainly not in a state where we are happy with them," Owers says.

The inspectorate has always aired its doubts about whether children should be placed in prison, thoughts that Owers echoes: "It seems fairly apparent, that in some cases, people, including young offenders, are sent to prison for drug treatment because the sentencing court can't think where else to send them where they will get it."

Owers stresses that some substance abusers, for various reasons, need prison sentences, but calls for more intermediate places like hostels and semi-secure accommodation where young people could be sent for "what is essentially a substance abuse problem".

A Department of Health strategy launched last month found that 95 per cent of young offenders had substance abuse problems, mental health problems or both. She believes people with a severe mental illness should be in a therapeutic environment, and adds that mental health provision across the prison service is "not a good picture".

Owers believes the prison health service is the Cinderella of the health service. Many people who have been sectioned or should be sectioned under Mental Health Act powers are stuck in young offender institutions because of the shortage of National Health Service beds, she argues.

People in the community often leapfrog waiting lists for treatment because they pose an immediate problem, possibly an immediate danger, she adds. Prisoners, by contrast, are "out of sight, out of mind."

Owers believes rehabilitation is inadequate, particularly for the over 18's, and not enough emphasis is placed on resettlement. Issues that, if managed, would make people less likely to reoffend such as housing, employment, debt management and support are seen as add-ons and not core activity.

She says that on a recent inspection, half of all young offenders expected to have no job, and a quarter expected to have no accommodation on release. But nearly half claimed to have no help to find housing and more than two-thirds said no one had spoken to them about employment or education.

Owers blames a lack of resources and a lack of co-ordination between prison and probation, and suggests that some institutions are not using the resources they have. "We are always very critical when we find an establishment where training places are available but not used because actually prison staff aren't getting them out of their cells," she says.

In the future, Owers intends to broaden the inspectorate's remit to include inspection of immigration detention centres. Another priority is child protection in prisons as in the future they will all be expected to have a child protection policy. She also targets improving the resettlement agenda and seeing fewer people in prisons.

Owers is undoubtedly ambitious for her time at the helm, saying: "I would be very disappointed if I left in five years time and there weren't significant improvements for 18 to 20 year olds held in custody." But she wisely acknowledges it is not an easy task ahead: "There is no magic wand - otherwise we would have discovered it long ago."