What's happened
HMP Dartmoor, closed in 2024 due to high radon levels, is costing HM Prison Service £4m annually under a lease signed in 2022. MPs criticize the decision, which is linked to a capacity crisis, while investigations into health risks continue.
What's behind the headline?
The Dartmoor lease exemplifies a reckless prioritization of capacity over safety and fiscal responsibility. The decision to sign a 10-year lease in 2022, despite known radon risks, reveals a failure in risk management and due diligence by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The government’s justification—that Dartmoor was necessary to address a prison capacity crisis—ignores the long-standing health hazards and the fact that radon levels had been monitored since 2010, with higher readings recorded as early as 2007. The £4m annual cost for an unusable facility, plus an estimated £68m for improvements, constitutes a significant waste of taxpayer money. The MPs’ condemnation underscores a broader systemic failure, where short-term political pressures and capacity needs overshadow safety and fiscal prudence. The ongoing investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and legal claims from former inmates highlight the human and financial toll of this misjudgment. This case will likely prompt calls for reform in prison infrastructure decision-making, emphasizing transparency, risk assessment, and accountability to prevent similar failures in the future.
What the papers say
The Guardian reports that the lease was signed in a 'blind panic' by civil servants seeking prison capacity, despite radon risks known since 2020. Sky News highlights the ongoing health investigation and the £4m annual cost, calling the expenditure a 'needless waste.' Both sources criticize the government's handling, with The Guardian describing the decision as a 'catastrophic failure' and Sky News emphasizing the financial and health implications. The contrasting tone underscores the systemic negligence and political pressure that led to this costly mistake, with The Guardian focusing on the political fallout and Sky News on the financial and safety consequences.
How we got here
HMP Dartmoor was closed in July 2024 after radon gas levels exceeded safety limits, leading to the relocation of over 600 prisoners. The prison's lease was signed in 2022 amid a capacity crisis, despite known radon issues dating back to 2007 and 2020. The Duchy of Cornwall owns the site, leased to the Ministry of Justice, which faced pressure to find prison capacity quickly. The decision to lease the prison has been heavily criticized for poor risk assessment and financial waste, with ongoing investigations into health risks and legal claims from former inmates and staff.
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