We have heard from the Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke and the Prisons Minister, Rory Stewart that we need to get back to basics where prisons are concerned. HMP/YOI Hollesley Bay is no exception.

Reading through the latest Inspectorate report shows clearly that only 15 of the 30 recommendations from the previous inspection in 2014 have been carried out.

Should alarm bells be ringing?

There are four tests for a healthy prison

1. Safety
2. Respect
3. Purposeful Activity
4. Rehabilitation and release planning (previously Resettlement)

Comparing the two latest reports, I noticed that some aspects once regarded as a safety issue are now a respect issue such as basic living conditions and making available a court video link.  Probably why the recommendations in that category has fallen from 9 to 4. Looks good on paper but you have to read between the lines.

Four years ago, there were no recommendations for purposeful activity yet this time there are 5. From making sure prisoners get impartial careers advice, to providing detailed and constructive feedback on practical work to help prisoners improve, to ensuring that those engaged in prison industries are able to study and achieve qualifications related to their job. The answer is in the name “Purposeful” activity not just something to pass the long often monotonous days.

Surely these are basics of an open Cat D prison and is HMP/YOI Hollesley Bay  failing?

It is worrying that there are many arriving at the prison without an up to date risk and needs assessment. Likewise, is the number of prisoners sent back to closed conditions, approx. 15 per month with some decisions not clearly evidenced.

And yet there are those that are released with little or no sustainable accommodation and this isn’t sufficiently monitored by the CRC’s.

With only one mental health staff, weak public protection procedures and with already 10% presented as medium or high risk to children there needs to be some serious changes before the planned arrival of those convicted of sex offences.

“New prisoners who potentially posed a risk to children were not always promptly assessed, and contact restrictions were not always applied in the interim”

There are so many issues to flag up:

“The anti-bullying representatives’ role was unclear, poorly advertised and lacked formal training”

“The strategic management of equality was less well developed than at the time of the previous inspection. There was no local equality and diversity strategy and the equality action plan was limited. There were no specific consultation groups running for prisoners with protected characteristics, other than the equality action team meeting”

The latest report shows increase in drug misuse with prisoners moving away from new psychoactive substances (NPS) and that cannabis was now the preferred drug. In addition the use of cocaine and steroids was an emerging problem.

Can HMP/YOI Hollesley Bay adapt to the changing needs and problems?

Let’s hope we are not seeing the gradual demise of this prison.

https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/03/Hollesley-Bay-Web-2018.pdf

Recommendations 2018 inspection

Safety

1. All use of force incidents should be scrutinised by senior staff to ensure that force is only used as a last resort.
2. Body-worn cameras should be used during all use of force incidents.
3. Risk assessments to determine if a return to closed conditions is necessary should be multidisciplinary and should show sufficient exploration of all relevant factors relating to the risks presented.
4. Decisions to use handcuffs should be based on an individual risk assessment. (Repeated recommendation 45)

Respect

5. The negative perceptions expressed by some prisoners that a small number of staff were punitive in their approach towards them should be explored and addressed.
6. Basic living conditions on the Bosmere unit should be improved to ensure decency, including refurbished and well-maintained showers.
7. Prisoners’ views about the quality of the food should be explored in greater depth and, where possible, changes should be made to increase their level of satisfaction.
8. The issues with the prison shop should be resolved, so that prisoners receive their correct order.
9. A court video link should be available. (Repeated recommendation 3)
10. The prison should routinely consult prisoners in the protected groups to ensure that their concerns and needs are identified and, where possible, addressed. (Repeated recommendation 25)
11. Managers should consider both local and national equality monitoring data, and address inequitable outcomes.
12. Reasonable adjustments for prisoners with disabilities should be swiftly completed. These prisoners should have access to practical support, such as a buddy scheme, which supports them in their day-to-day life at the prison
13. There should be a regular health care representative forum to inform service developments and enable collective concerns to be addressed.
14. There should be regular, systematic health promotion campaigns delivered in conjunction with the prison.
15. Prisoners should have timely access to optician and dental services. (Repeated recommendation 68)
16. There should be a memorandum of understanding and information sharing agreement between agencies, to outline appropriate joint service working on social care.

Purposeful Activity

17. Prison managers should ensure that they have accurate information on the education, training or employment that prisoners enter following their release, so that they can evaluate and monitor fully the impact of the curriculum on offer.
18. Prison managers should ensure that prisoners receive impartial careers advice and guidance when they arrive at the establishment and throughout their time in custody, so that they can plan their future after release more effectively.
19. Prison and People Plus managers should ensure that vocational tutors provide detailed and constructive feedback on practical work, to help prisoners to improve.
20. Prison and People Plus managers should ensure that vocational tutors challenge prisoners to achieve high standards of professional workmanship that meets commercial expectations.
21. Prison managers should ensure that prisoners engaged in prison industries have an opportunity to study and achieve a qualification related to their job.

Rehabilitation and release planning

22. Visits provision should meet demand.
23. Prisoners on resettlement day release to maintain family ties should not be required to be collected and returned by family members in a car unless the risk assessment suggests that this is necessary.
24. The prison’s needs analysis should make full use of offender assessment system (OASys) and P-NOMIS data, in order to identify and address gaps in provision.
25. Prisoners should only transfer to open conditions once a full and up-to-date assessment of their risk and needs has been carried out.
26. There should be sufficient places available in Bail Accommodation and Support Service accommodation to allow prisoners to be released on home detention curfew on their eligibility date.
27. Meetings to discuss a prisoner’s suitability for open conditions should be multidisciplinary. Decisions to return prisoners to closed conditions should be clearly evidenced and defensible.
28. For prisoners returning to closed conditions, recategorisation to C should be supported by clear evidence.
29. The prison should undertake a comprehensive analysis of needs, to establish the range of offence-focused interventions required.
30. The community rehabilitation company (CRC) should monitor the number of prisoners released to sustainable accommodation (12 weeks after release), to understand the effectiveness of provision.
31. The CRC should ensure that interviews to review resettlement plans are conducted by a trained member of staff.

https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/01/Hollesley-Bay-web-2015.pdf

Recommendations 2014 inspection

Safety

1. Recommendation: The Bosmere unit should be upgraded or replaced with permanent accommodation
2. Recommendation: OASYs and ROTL procedures should be sufficiently rigorous to ensure risks to the public are effectively managed.
3. A court video link should be available.
4. Prisoners should receive a private first night interview with a member of staff.
5. The prison should investigate prisoners’ perceptions about safety and address any concerns raised.
6. The safeguarding adults framework document should be finalised and staff should understand safeguarding procedures for adults at risk.
7. Decisions to use handcuffs should be based on an individual risk assessment.
8. The drug strategy action plan should be updated, inform developments and detail lines of accountability.
9. The controlled drugs administration room should be more welcoming and security arrangements should be in line with what is required in open conditions.

Respect

10. The shower areas in the Stow unit should be refurbished.
11. Staff and personal officers in the Bosmere unit should check on and interact with prisoners in their care.
12. The EAT should investigate when monitoring data consistently suggests inequitable outcomes for minority groups.
13. The prison should routinely consult prisoners in the protected groups to ensure their concerns and needs are identified, and where possible, addressed.
14. Suitable adapted accommodation should be available for prisoners with disabilities.
15. All staff should have regular managerial and clinical supervision, as well as appropriate continuing professional development underpinned by a current performance appraisal.
16. There should be sufficient clinical rooms to provide a comprehensive service and all areas, including the dental suite, should comply with infection control guidelines.
17. Triage algorithms should be available to ensure decisions made are consistent and appropriate.
18. Prisoners should have timely access to optician and dental services.
19. Prisoners should have access to pharmacist-led counselling sessions, clinics and medication reviews.
20. The dental service should be informed by an up-to-date needs assessment.
21. Custodial staff should receive regular mental health awareness training.
22. Self-catering facilities should be improved, particularly for prisoners on long or indeterminate sentences.
23. There should be no administration charge for catalogue orders.

Resettlement

24. Formal supervision should be provided to all OSs.
25. Sentence planning objectives should be specific and focused on outcomes.
26. All prisoners should have planned case management meetings with their OS proportionate to their risk and needs. Meetings should be recorded.
27. When prisoners are returned to closed conditions there should be a clear record of who made the decision and the rationale for it; re-categorisation from D to C should only take place if there is clear evidence that this is required.
28. The content and information on the virtual campus should be reviewed to ensure it is relevant for prisoners looking for work on release.
29. There should be robust discharge planning processes in place to ensure continuity of care.
30. The prison should develop a strategic action plan that aims to ensure all prisoners have the opportunity to stay in contact with family and friends.