This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23447437
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Prison ratings: 'Serious concern' over three jails | Prison ratings: 'Serious concern' over three jails |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| There is "serious concern" over three prisons in England, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said, as they were given the lowest performance rating. | |
| HMP Oakwood, near Wolverhampton; HMP Thameside, in south-east London; and HMP Prison Winchester were rated level one in annual MoJ prison ratings. | |
| They were the only prisons of 134 to be rated one, the lowest category of four. | |
| Oakwood is run by private firm G4S, Thameside by rival Serco and Winchester is run by the Prison Service. | |
| G4S and Serco are private security companies but have a range of contracts with the government to carry out services. | |
| Earlier this month both firms came under fire for overcharging the government by "tens of millions of pounds" for providing electronic tags for criminals. | |
| It triggered a government-wide review of all contracts held by the two firms. | |
| 'Deteriorated sharply' | 'Deteriorated sharply' |
| A further 12 prisons were "of concern", while the remainder were either rated as having an "exceptional performance" or "meeting the majority of targets". | |
| Oakwood opened in April 2012 and is one of the largest jails in the country, with capacity for 1,600 male inmates. | Oakwood opened in April 2012 and is one of the largest jails in the country, with capacity for 1,600 male inmates. |
| On its website, the prison says that it aspires to be regarded as "the leading prison in the world" within five years. | On its website, the prison says that it aspires to be regarded as "the leading prison in the world" within five years. |
| Thameside opened in March 2012 and can hold 900 male prisoners. | Thameside opened in March 2012 and can hold 900 male prisoners. |
| Winchester Prison, built in 1846, was criticised by inspectors earlier this year after two elderly disabled men were locked up together for almost 24 hours a day, without easy access to showers. | Winchester Prison, built in 1846, was criticised by inspectors earlier this year after two elderly disabled men were locked up together for almost 24 hours a day, without easy access to showers. |
| Inspectors said standards at the jail had "deteriorated sharply". | Inspectors said standards at the jail had "deteriorated sharply". |
| Performance grading | Performance grading |
| The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is responsible for agreeing and publishing annual performance ratings for each prison in England and Wales. | The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is responsible for agreeing and publishing annual performance ratings for each prison in England and Wales. |
| NOMS looks at how prisons have done on public protection, reducing reoffending, decency and resource management and operational effectiveness. | NOMS looks at how prisons have done on public protection, reducing reoffending, decency and resource management and operational effectiveness. |
| Performance is graded into four bands - four indicates exceptional performance; three means a majority of targets have been met; two indicates overall performance is of concern and one suggest performance is of serious concern. | Performance is graded into four bands - four indicates exceptional performance; three means a majority of targets have been met; two indicates overall performance is of concern and one suggest performance is of serious concern. |