Inmates in some of the UK’s oldest prisons say they are no longer being punished but ‘tortured’ as they are locked in their baking cells for 22 hours a day in the heatwaves.
Prisoners at HMP Chelmsford, built in 1825, say they were left on the brink of heat exhaustion in the latest heatwave which saw highs of 36C – the hottest June day on record.
A mum of one of the inmates told Metro she had dropped over some cooler clothes for her son to wear, but they did not reach him until after the heatwave as officers told her it was ‘too hot for the sniffer dogs to work’.
Her son was only meant to be in HMP Chelmsford, a category B prison, for 10 days following his sentencing for breaching bail conditions, while a space in a lower category was found for him.
But instead he has been in there for six weeks with no sign of being moved anytime soon.
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Category B prisons see inmates locked up in their cells for more than 20 hours a day, usually with a cellmate. This means the high temperatures can see the sealed rooms quickly rise in temperature.
The mum, who wished to remain anonymous to protect her son’s safety, said: ‘It’s not punishment at this point. It’s torture for them.’
She said inmates are only given an additional 330ml bottle of water to tide them through the day, which they also use to clean themselves with as the showers only produce steaming hot water.
‘They are just cooking,’ the mum said. ‘They are losing weight because the heat is making them sick. There is no ventilation.’
She added: ‘I completely understand that people need to be punished and held accountable for their actions. But my son is not a violent criminal.’
A Prison Service Spokesperson said: ‘Prisons have measures in place to protect staff and prisoners during hot weather, and drinking water is readily available at all times.’
In 2021, an inspection report described HMP Chelmsford as being in a ‘near state of collapse’, with prisoners kept in their cells for more than 22 hours a day.
The report said: ‘Staff members often failed to respond to even basic requests from prisoners and too many were dismissive and showed only limited empathy and care for those for whom they were responsible.
This triggered urgent government intervention, but the prison has remained in the news.
In October prisoner Hadush Kebatu, who was serving a 12-month prison sentence for sexual assault, was released in error when he should have been deported.
He spent 48 hours at large before he was apprehended.
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