An inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons has found that Exeter Prison still faces “deep-rooted and longstanding challenges” despite the efforts of staff, which it said are “beginning to make a real difference”.
It said the prison, at which seven self-inflicted deaths have taken place since 2022, was “no longer overwhelmed” and commended the “desperately needed” commitment of a new governor who took over in 2023.
The inspection report follows news that unnsafe levels of radon gas have been detected at the prison along with fifteen others in England and Wales, including Channings Wood in Newton Abbot, with a total of 33 sites under investigation by the Ministry of Justice.
Exposure to high levels of radon gas – a colourless, odourless, radioactive gas present in particularly high concentrations in the south west peninsula – increases the risk of lung cancer.
Dartmoor Prison closed in 2024 after radon levels of up to fourteen times the permissible limit were detected on the site.
