The report by Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor says: “Many cells did not have furniture, and new arrivals told inspectors they were being made to pay for chairs or storage units by other prisoners.”.
For new arrivals, this means often facing an empty cell and having to get into debt with prison overlords, with vapes now the unofficial currency.
Inmates at the 810-capacity HMP Garth in Lancashire often joke about “furnished” and “unfurnished” cells — saying they even sometimes had to buy pillows, blankets and mattresses.
A prison source said: “That debt takes a long time to pay back and it usually means stashing contraband for the bigwigs.”.
Prisons must supply certain basics but the jail black market means lag “bosses” run the wings and decide who gets what.
