From the archive: ‘If you decide to cut staff, people die’: how Nottingham prison descended into chaos

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• 00:00

  This is The Guardian.

• 00:08

  My name is Isabel Thompson and I'm the author of If You Decide To Cut Staff People Die How Nottingham Prison Descended Into Chaos which was published in 2022.

• 00:33

  I was initially drawn to this story because we've all read headlines about the crisis in British prisons but I was curious as to why this was happening and then how this crisis was affecting the lives of those who live and work in prisons.

• 00:52

  Since the article was published, pressures on the prison system remain really acute.

• 00:58

  So prisons were operating at a 99% capacity, rates of violence have surged, there's a drive to build super prisons and produce more prison places.

• 01:12

  Equally, there are plans afoot to potentially scrap many custodial sentences under 12 months, push community-based alternatives, possibly reward good behaviour with earlier release.

• 01:26

  So this could signal a shift towards less people entering prisons and also people staying inside prisons for shorter amounts of time.

• 01:35

  But I guess really the issue at hand isn't just about prisons but what happens outside them in the community.

• 01:45

  For example, what measures can be taken to reduce reoffending.

• 01:50

  We need to take action on prisons but also the services that surround them and that's a conversation that hopefully will be picked up now and in months and years to come.

• 02:03

  I think there's a gap between people's views on punishment and then their faith and how we actually choose to punish people.

• 02:13

  So by that, I mean, you know, being tough on crime is clearly a really politically effective message.

• 02:19

  But I don't actually think many people believe that prisons as they currently operate are that effective.

• 02:25

  So maybe better stories or deeper stories about prisons and the realities of the criminal justice system can help bridge that gap.

• 02:36

  So I hope this story went some way to doing that.

• 02:41

  Prisons are hidden behind walls and barbed wire.

• 02:46

  And even though they are by design, really isolated.

• 02:51

  They are part of our communities and what happens inside them ripples out.

• 02:56

  So I wanted this piece to convey that and just show the impact of Nottingham's decline on the lives of officers, governors, prisoners, their families.

• 03:10

  I spoke to Denise Eisen whose son Ben died by suicide in Nottingham and Their story was just a really searing reminder that even if Nottingham has hopefully improved, the effects of its crisis really will live on for years and years to come and I think it's important to flag that.

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