Threat of Islamist extremism in UK prisons uncovered in dire new warning | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Islamist extremism is “still one of the biggest problems” in prisons, a scathing report has discovered.

The Henry Jackson Society has warned overcrowding and violence behind bars has led to extra gangs being shaped.

And “extremist views are aired freely”, with little carried out to problem the hatred, the HJS stated.

The think-tank declared the Ministry of Justice should construct extra prisons, rent further employees and decide to the “Norwegian” mannequin of justice, which incentivises rehabilitation and sees guards “embedded” inside items to handle behaviour.

But Dr. Theo Zenou, who wrote the report Prison Break: Reforming Britain’s Prison System, stated employees have to be “empowered” to sort out extremism behind bars.

Drawing from an interview with an Imam behind bars, Dr Zenou stated: “Islamism is still one of the biggest problems that the service is facing where prisoners can radicalise other prisoners very, very easily.

“He [the anonymous Imam] described an environment in which extremist views are aired freely. In the aftermath of the 7 October terrorist attacks in Israel, for example, he said that some prisoners shouted “death to the Jews” at Friday sermons.

“Prisoners join Islamist gangs in order to avoid becoming the target of violence – both by Islamists and by other groups.

“This forces some Muslim prisoners to embrace a radical interpretation of their faith. It also leads to insincere conversions by non-Muslims.

“I saw many prisoners when I was with them in one jail, they were Muslims. But, when they came to me in another jail, they had become Christians or non-Muslims,” the imam stated.

“He summed it up thusly: “In some of the jails, if you want to be protected, the best thing is to become Muslim.”

Some 85,826 prisoners had been behind bars on Monday, November 11.

Justice chiefs needed to launch nearly 3,000 criminals to keep away from the jail overcrowding disaster resulting in an unprecedented scenario of police being unable to arrest criminals.

The Henry Jackson Society warned as many as 72 of the prisons in England and Wales are “overcrowded”.

Dr Zenou states: “As a consequence of overcrowding, something as basic as going to the toilet becomes a source of anxiety and unease. At HMP Stoke Heath, for instance, cells are so crowded that prisoners’ bunks are located right next to the toilets. Sometimes there is a curtain acting as separation, sometimes there is nothing at all.

“Drug use is also commonplace. Psychoactive substances circulate freely. According to Peter Clarke, the former Chief Inspector of Prisons, “some of them are deluged in it. It’s making them virtually unmanageable.

“And violence – whether between prisoners or directed at guards – is ubiquitous.”

Describing the Norwegian system, Dr Zenou stated it prioritises rehabilitation – however stated the jails are “not lax.”

Guards are embedded with the prisoners, that means they’ll clamp down swiftly on any unhealthy behaviour.

But they’ll additionally construct nearer relationships by consuming collectively, taking part in sports activities and checking on “how prisoners are doing”.

In his report, Dr Zenou concluded: “In the long term, a prison system that prizes rehabilitation leads to less crime and thus fewer criminals in prison. But, in the short term, the Government must build more prisons. That much is obvious.

“The new Labour Government must meet – if not exceed – the 20,000 target. 20,000 is the minimum. In order to ease over-overcrowding, and thus start to improve living conditions, more prison places are needed.

“If the Government has to build more prisons, it should take the opportunity to start implementing prison reform.

“These new prisons should be pilot schemes for a new prison system. They should showcase another approach to incarceration and be designed with a focus on rehabilitation – incorporating concepts from the Norwegian model such as normalisation and dynamic security.”