Over
50,000 people, innocent until proven guilty, were imprisoned
in England and Wales last year awaiting trial.
They have limited access to legal
information to prepare for their trial.
They
were in prison for an average time of 49 days – although
over 200 of them stayed behind bars for more than two years.
Many remand prisoners are vulnerable
individuals with serious drug and mental health problems.
Imprisoning them can have disastrous consequences.
They
can be locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day, with
no regular access to showers and with just 30 minutes exercise.
Last year 36 remand prisoners took
their own lives. That is the equivalent of one every ten days.
They
usually have to share a cramped cell, eat their food in this
cell and see their cell mate use the toilet in front of them.
But when they finally stand trial,
one in five remand prisoners are acquitted – that means
that each week around 50 people are acquitted with little
or no hope of compensation.
Often
they will share a cell with a convicted prisoner.
