Open prison plagued by escapes sends almost half to secure jails over safety fears
The Category D West Sussex prison has been slammed for improperly assessed prisoners and a slack approach.
The HM Ford Prison, informally known as the Ford Open Prison, has had the third highest number of escapes in the last seven years, with a shocking 86 escapees despite a risk assessment verdict finding prisoners have little to no motivation to escape and are of no threat to the public.
Drug use within the lax prison has also been noted, with management previously admitting to an “increase” in Class A drug use in a letter.
In response to this concerning rise, notices were advanced to the inmates reminding them in a civil manner not to take drugs, and inquiring as to why the inmates were eager to escape.
Weakness in both management and the categorisation of inmates at the men’s open prison has been cited in recent years, with the prison spotlighted in 2015 when some of 39 escaped convicts, including drug dealers and two murderers, were discovered to have been missing from the jail for more than 10 years.
The notable drug usage in the facility prompted local MP Nick Gibb to demand a "zero-tolerance" approach, emphasising the need for officials to take a stronger stance against drug use within the facility.
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Prisoners within the Category D prison are deemed suitable for open conditions and encouraged to explore resettlement opportunities such as further education.
But an Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) found that 167 prisoners were returned to closed prison grounds within 10 months by the end of October 2022, suggesting a failure of the categorisation system.
The IMB admitted that this statistic "seems a large number in context of an operational capacity of 389".
Despite the Ministry of Justice’s policies of re-categorisation of inmates and the Parole Board’s apparent advisory role in inmates being sent to open prisons, the situation at the HM Ford Prison has been criticised by ex-chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who said: "It really tells you how bad it has got if nobody is able to identify who is responsible."
