Serco accused of ‘petty and vindictive’ removal of artwork from court cells

Government contractor stripped custody suites in England and Wales of motivational murals deemed too welcoming, report says

A government contractor has been accused of being petty and vindictive" after tearing down brightly coloured artworks carrying motivational messages that were intended to improve the conditions for people held in court cells.

The decision by Serco to remove the artworks, commissioned to cheer up court custody areas that are often underground and bleak", is revealed in the annual report of the Lay Observers, independent members of the public who monitor court custody and escort conditions. The report draws on 759 visits to court custody suites across England and Wales, representing almost 2,000 hours of monitoring.