Phil in Paris
12-21-2004, 10:41 PM
By John Crowley
(Filed: 20/12/2004)
Plans to use a moored ship on the Thames as a prison were criticised last night by human rights groups.
The Metropolitan Police said it would decide before the New Year whether to use HMP Weare, currently berthed at Portland, Dorset, to tackle overcrowding in cells.
The proposals would see inmates who had been arrested or on remand being held temporarily on board the ship.
However, the Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay said the plan raised human rights issues after prison inspectors described the vessel as "unacceptably cramped".
"It's indicative of some of the confused thinking and poor decision making which has become a hallmark of the senior management of the Met in recent times," he said.
"The reasons why such a proposal was rejected by the Home Office a few years ago remain today."
Enver Solomon, of the Prison Reform Trust, also expressed concern over the plan.
"Our position has always been that the Weare is completely inappropriate to hold prisoners," he said. "If the Metropolitan Police wants to consider using it to hold people overnight or for short periods, that's their decision.
"But the verdict of the Chief Inspector of Prisons was that it was totally inadequate."
HMP Weare was originally a troop ship in the Falklands war before becoming a floating jail in America.
The Government purchased it in 1997 as a temporary measure to ease overcrowding and intended to close it in 2000. It now holds 400 inmates.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/20/njail20.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/12/20/ixhome.html
(Filed: 20/12/2004)
Plans to use a moored ship on the Thames as a prison were criticised last night by human rights groups.
The Metropolitan Police said it would decide before the New Year whether to use HMP Weare, currently berthed at Portland, Dorset, to tackle overcrowding in cells.
The proposals would see inmates who had been arrested or on remand being held temporarily on board the ship.
However, the Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay said the plan raised human rights issues after prison inspectors described the vessel as "unacceptably cramped".
"It's indicative of some of the confused thinking and poor decision making which has become a hallmark of the senior management of the Met in recent times," he said.
"The reasons why such a proposal was rejected by the Home Office a few years ago remain today."
Enver Solomon, of the Prison Reform Trust, also expressed concern over the plan.
"Our position has always been that the Weare is completely inappropriate to hold prisoners," he said. "If the Metropolitan Police wants to consider using it to hold people overnight or for short periods, that's their decision.
"But the verdict of the Chief Inspector of Prisons was that it was totally inadequate."
HMP Weare was originally a troop ship in the Falklands war before becoming a floating jail in America.
The Government purchased it in 1997 as a temporary measure to ease overcrowding and intended to close it in 2000. It now holds 400 inmates.
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004. Terms & Conditions of reading.
Commercial information. Privacy and Cookie Policy.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/20/njail20.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/12/20/ixhome.html