Clean-up call after inspectors find racist graffiti in cells at Cannock court room

The graffiti was found during inspections of cells and custody suites across the West Mercia region and Staffordshire.

Peter Clarke, chief inspector of prisons, said: "Most custody suites were in good condition – they were generally clean and contained minimal graffiti. Exceptions included Cannock Magistrates' Court and Shrewsbury Crown Court which were dirty, oppressive and contained substantial amounts of graffiti, some of which was racist.

"We were concerned that staff at these courts had not identified these issues during their daily cell checks and it was clear that some custody staff were not rigorous enough when they checked cells or scrutinised graffiti for offensive remarks." Mr Clarke said most staff in court custody interacted well with detainees and were friendly and respectful.

It was also claimed that low staffing levels at courts were having a "significant impact" on the treatment of prisoners.

Inmates are not being brought before courts at the prescribed time and the lack of available vehicle crews was leading to delays getting detainees to prison, according toMr Clarke.

In some cases the delays are lasting several hours, he said.

Mr Clarke said: "During the inspection we found some significant delays – up to five hours at some courts – in detainees being transported to prison following their court appearance.

"From records we reviewed we found regular delays of between three and five hours at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court and Burton-upon-Trent and Shrewsbury crown courts, with the longest delay being over seven hours at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.

"These delays were excessive and resulted in detainees remaining in court custody cells for longer than necessary."

A number of recommendations were made including that all court cells should be clean and free of graffiti. Measures should also be put in place to ensure detainees in custody have their cases prioritised where possible.