Shrewsbury Crown Court custody suites 'dirty', report finds

Some of the graffiti found by inspectors in the cells at the crown court and Cannock Magistrates Court was racist, it has been revealed.

But the inspectors found that cells at magistrates courts in Shrewsbury and Telford were generally clean and well-maintained.

Shrewsbury Magistrates Court has since closed as part of a reorganisation of court services.

The graffiti was found during inspections of cells and custody suites across the West Mercia region – which includes Shropshire – 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.

Meanwhile Mr said low staffing levels at courts are 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, said Mr Clarke.

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

Mr Clarke said: "During the inspection we found some significant delays 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 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."

Mr Clarke added that staff understood that court appearances were stressful and tried hard to alleviate anxieties.

He said: "Staff knew some detainees who had been in custody before and at Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court, for example, we saw this knowledge put to good use when one of the detainees was more subdued than normal – staff monitored him more closely. Some detainees exhibited challenging behaviour and staff used good skills to de-escalate these situations.

"Although detainees at most courts were held in decent conditions, this report raises concerns about safety, as well as staff training, and we have made a number of recommendations that would contribute to improvements in the care of detainees, particularly the most vulnerable."

A number of recommendations were made following the inspections 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 and are transferred and released without delay.