The prison population in Gibraltar last year was the largest in a decade

The prison population in Gibraltar last year was the largest in a decade, according to the latest annual report from the Gibraltar Prison Board. The average number of prisoners on any given day last year stood at 71, compared to 54 in 2010.   Just ten years ago, the daily average inmate population was less than 20 and did not rise above 40 until 2009. Since then, it has climbed steadily year on year. At the end of 2011 there were 77 people in HMP Windmill Hill serving custodial sentences or remanded in custody pending trial. According to the report, the total number of receptions at Gibraltar’s prison – a figure that could include multiple admissions by one or more individuals - last year was 327, compared to 276 for 2010. WOMEN The report by the Gibraltar Prison Board highlighted concern about the prison’s ability to cope with an increase in the number of female prisoners serving time. The female wing at HMP Windmill Hill has only six cells but on a number of occasions last year there were more than six women jailed at any given time. When this happened, the overspill of female prisoners was housed during the night in another wing used for male inmates who must be kept separate from the main prison population. During the day, the women in this wing were transferred to the female wing. The Board’s main concern was that there was only one female prison guard on duty at any given time, irrespective of the number of women in custody. “The Superintendent has informed the Board that he is satisfied with the way the Female Wing is being manned by one female prison officer,” the Board’s report said. “This follows the concerns of the Board that one officer may not be sufficient when this wing is fully or over occupied.”

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