Inmates stuck in Stafford prison past release date

Nearly 40 inmates in the jail are still locked up despite their release date having passed.

The reason behind this is because some prisoners cannot be released until a parole board has agreed they are no longer a danger, something they are hesitant to do according to the report by the independent monitoring board (IMB).

Sally Osborne-Town, the chair of Stafford prison's IMB, confirmed to the Express & Star that prisoners were staying inside for 'years rather than months' longer than they should be.

To add to this, sex offenders who proclaim their innocence cannot take part in the sex offender treatment programme – a programme used to help rehabilitate – making it even less likely a parole board will agree to their release despite the original sentence handed down by a judge having expired.

The findings come as part of a damning report into the prison, which also reveals that prisoners are not being rehabilitated properly, 30 per cent becoming homeless on release, 20 per cent having hospital appointments cancelled and some being targeted for their prescription drugs.

The report also raised concerns that elderly patients in the prison were not getting enough care. It follows a report released in June which revealed the prison, which houses notorious sex offender Rolf Harris, is releasing 'high risk' prisoners without the necessary support, creating 'significant risks'.

This new report by the IMB for the period May 2015 to April 16 said: "In the last reporting period there were 50 prisoners in custody for an Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP), 39 of whom were post tariff.

"The Board recognised that the Independent Parole Board decided their final release date but it was also aware that prisoners could not complete their sentence plans when appropriate sex offender treatment programmes were not available or when prisoners were maintaining innocence. The Board felt that this was a miscarriage of justice."

The IMB reported that staff at the prison had made 'determined efforts' to make sure prisoners were treated with respect and dignity and also that the prison had 'settled well' following its switch from an adult male prison to a sex offender hub. They added it had made 'considerable progress' in many areas.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "As this report recognises, HMP Stafford has made considerable progress in many areas, particularly in safety and staff are working hard to address the concerns raised in the report. Safety in prisons is fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans."