Safety
Persistent drug and alcohol use as drivers of debt and increasing violence, as well as furthering the influence of organised crime groups (OCGs) within the establishment. Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, although fewer than the previous year, were still much higher than in comparator establishments.
Safety
The use of a challenge, support and intervention plans (CSIPs) to manage prisoners who pose an increased risk of violence was, at times, ineffective and needed to be more rigorously implemented. Assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) documents were opened to help ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable prisoners (those at risk of self-harm and suicide), so it was disappointing to see some documents being poorly developed. This tended to occur when a wing was required to manage multiple prisoners on ACCTs at any one time.
Overcrowding
The increased operational capacity for the prison put pressure on all wings to ensure maximum cell use. This inevitably led to multiple conflicts with prisoners who refused to share a cell. The Board noted the comments made by the safety audit, that cell sharing risk assessments (CSRAs), used to identify prisoners at risk of seriously harming someone they share a cell with, were not made in a rigorous enough manner for prisoners arriving at HMP Guys Marsh.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The Board received several complaints about mildew in cells and its effects on asthma sufferers, in particular. The multi-faith room in the chaplaincy was not fit for purpose, given the amount of water ingress when it rained heavily. It requires urgent investment.
Healthcare
The waiting list for dental treatment was unacceptably long and needed to be urgently addressed.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Education provision was underutilised at HMP Guys Marsh. The Board would welcome greater incentives for attending courses. The culture of attending work was not embedded in prison life. Attendance at work on some wings was unacceptably low. The number of work placements available needed expansion.
Safety
Repeated
The Board regretted the refusal of HMPPS to deal with drone incursions in what we would consider an appropriate manner. Wings were generally unkempt in appearance, with rubbish bags near exit doors being left to fester for days at a time. The whole issue of decency across the estate showed a further decline during the reporting period. The Board had considerable misgivings about the levels of hygiene in some servery areas.
Other
Repeated
Property continued to be the principal subject of complaints and applications to the Board...Internally, the biggest factor affecting the loss of property was cell clearance, where a prisoner had been removed from his cell without the opportunity to bag up his property, leaving it to the wing staff to complete...The Board has concerns about the high number of compensation payments to prisoners as a consequence of incomplete cell clearances.