Bullying is 'part of life' for inmates at Holloway

Theft and bullying are rife inside London's Holloway jail with more than half of its female inmates feeling unsafe, an official report warned today.

The report, by the Government's chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers, said intimidation and pilfering are so common that it has become a "part of life" within the jail.

She also warned that an average of 88 women per month - equivalent to more than two every day - attempt to injure or kill themselves. The report will raise concerns about standards within the country's largest women's jail, despite what Ms Owers described as a "lot of progress" in improving conditions over recent years.

These include improved cleanliness, better healthcare provision and generally effective provision for the inmates of ethnic minority backgrounds.

She said that although most bullying and theft are "low level", more than half of the 500 inmates say they feel in danger and that the levels of victimisation have got worse since her previous inspection visit four years ago. Ms Owers said: "Over half the women we surveyed said they felt unsafe, significantly more than at the time of the last inspection, and this was strongly associated with victimisation by other prisoners.

"Holloway's layout and its dormitory accommodation makes safe supervision extremely difficult. But the prison's own violence-reduction strategy was not sufficiently effective in preventing and dealing with victimisation and bullying."

Ms Owers said that despite the level of self-harm, suicide-prevention measures were "sound". She warned, however, that too many women with mental health problems continue to be kept in the prison rather than on secure NHS wards.

"Holloway, like all other women's prisons, is holding women who should not be held there," Ms Owers said.

Phil Wheatley, the director general of the Prison Service, welcomed Ms Owers's report. "I am pleased that the chief inspector has recognised the progress made at Holloway. The need to improve women's feelings of safety is recognised and is being acted on."