Inmate ‘handed curtain instead of £900 in property after his release’

A prison allegedly failed to return almost £900 of clothes and property to an inmate after his release, handing him back a curtain, a drawer, and a cell telephone instead.

Former magistrate Georgia Swift said when she and her partner went to collect his things from HMP Winchester, they were given a bag with his name on but nothing inside which actually belonged to him. 

Ms Swift has been campaigning for better conditions at the jail in Hampshire, saying it is chaotic, unsafe, and rife with drugs.

She resigned her role in the court service to support her partner, a recovering heroin addict remanded for an assault during a psychotic episode who we have agreed not to name.

Within ten minutes in prison he had been offered drugs, she told Metro, and she did her best to support him by visiting as well as sending in clothes and books.

He also had a commitment ring as a sign of their bond, which has also still not been returned.

Ms Swift’s partner did not have a chance to pack his own clothes to take home, as he was released after leaving for a court hearing.

‘He was quite expecting to go back to the prison,’ Georgia said, but instead the judge deferred sentencing.  

Despite sending invoices and hiring a solicitor to chase up the matter, they have not received the possessions or compensation for their value, and Georgia says she has not lately had a response at all.

Loved ones are permitted to send in a clothes parcel with a specified number of each item, for example socks, pants, and t-shirts, which Georgia did.

‘I sent in the full quota, as well as things like literature to keep him on track with his recovery,’ she said.

‘He’s never got any of it back.’

She said he partner is doing well and still in recovery, but if he had found himself without property it could have easily been the trigger for reoffending and he’d be ‘back in there already’. 

‘Five months on we’re still chasing it up, and they just ignore it; they don’t do anything.’

Georgia, who once sent prisoners to HMP Winchester in her role as a magistrate, says she was appalled to see the extent of the problems there.

She told how she saw staff drinking in a nearby pub on lunch breaks, with prisoners claiming some came back smelling of alcohol.

Winchester Prison received an Urgent Notification in October, with inspectors finding high levels of violence, poor living conditions, and inadequate support for prisoners, including issues with drugs and self-harm.

The Prison Service has now published an action plan to improve safety and conditions, including more frequent cleaning schedules and urgent repairs to cells damaged by mould and vandalism.

Prisoners are expected to take their property with them when they are released but in cases where this is not possible, any property left behind is kept for 12 months.

Before their release, prisoners are asked to sign a disclaimer confirming they are aware that items will be disposed of should they fail to collect them within the 12 months.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: ‘We cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings.’

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