Source · IMB Annual Report
Wakefield
Year: 2023
Published: 15 Mar 2024
Type: Prison · Cat High Security (A/B)
Population: 740
Recommendations: 10
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Wakefield, a high-security prison, is generally considered safe and humane, with observed improvements in healthcare provision. However, the Board noted a significant increase in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and ongoing concerns regarding staffing experience levels, which impact prisoner safety and support quality. Delays in mental health transfers to secure hospitals remain a major issue, alongside an insufficient purposeful activity regime and challenges with prisoner property management.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 8 | 2 |
| Self-harm incidents | 429 | 444 |
| ACCT cases opened | 272 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 106 | 51 |
| Assaults on staff | 61 | — |
| Use of force | 237 | — |
Positive findings
The Board generally considers HMP Wakefield safe, calm, and fair. Significant improvements have been observed in healthcare provision, with general healthcare staffing levels almost fully met by the end of the reporting period. The kitchen delivers good provision, and the prison has good systems for addressing discrimination complaints. Education success rates are high, and the Offender Management Unit delivers a very good service. Family contact initiatives, including monthly family days, are well-regarded.
Key concerns
Safety
there were 106 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in this reporting year (a large increase, from 51, in the last reporting period)
Staffing
The staffing profile is of concern to the Board: the ongoing prison officer recruitment campaign and associated use of detached duty is leading to a reduction in the number of experienced prison officers at HMP Wakefield.
Safety
The physical security of the prison, and associated infrastructure to prevent the use of ‘drones’... requires attention.
Mental Health
Repeated
We remain concerned by the significant delays in accessing transfers to a secure hospital for prisoners who are in urgent need of mental health treatment.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
We ask the Minister to act in respect of prisoners at HMP Wakefield who are substantially over tariff and subject to the consequences of the now discredited ‘sentences of imprisonment for public protection [IPP]’.
Estate/Conditions
For prisoners who face mobility problems, the accommodation is not ideal.
Estate/Conditions
The physical infrastructure, by virtue of its age, presents challenges in maintaining humane living standards for prisoners and working conditions for staff.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Purposeful activity – we remain concerned that too many men are not meaningfully engaged in education or work opportunities.
Other
Prisoner property – we remain concerned that prisoners do not receive ‘in possession’ property from reception in a timely manner.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The astroturf sports pitch has been unavailable for several years. The pitch provides much needed opportunities for physical exercise.
Segregation
The Board remains of the view that segregation staff face a significant challenge in managing prisoners who refuse to leave segregation. On occasion, the Board has felt it necessary to object to further Rule 45 segregation on this basis. We do not think it is acceptable to expect staff at HMP Wakefield to manage these prisoners in the absence of a clear and achievable reintegration strategy.
Mental Health
The IMB remains concerned about the time taken to address the mental health issues of certain individuals and those who have spent an extraordinary amount of time in segregation.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | We ask the Minister to act in respect of prisoners at HMP Wakefield who are substantially over tariff and subject to the consequences of the now discredited ‘sentences of imprisonment for public protection [IPP]’ (see Criminal Justice Act 2003). Repeated | Other | |
| 2 | We ask the Minister to explain how the Government intends to address longstanding and yet unresolved problems with the assessment and transfer of prisoners who present with serious mental health and personality disorders from HMP Wakefield to hospital (section 47, Mental Health Act 1983). Repeated | Other | |
| 3 | We ask the Minister to act in respect of the substantial security threat posed by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the vicinity of HMP Wakefield. | Other | |
| 4 | We repeat the recommendation in the IMB 2020-21 annual report and ask HMPPS to explore the possibility of implementing a nationally available set of legal resources for prisoners, including easy access to Prison Service Orders and Instructions. Repeated | HMPPS | |
| 5 | The astroturf sports pitch has been unavailable for several years. The pitch provides much needed opportunities for physical exercise. The Board urges HMPPS to reinstate the facility as soon as is reasonably practicable. | HMPPS | |
| 6 | The Board asks HMPPS to clarify the support provided to the Governing Governor when assessing/selecting staff for ‘detached duty’ at other HMPPS establishments. | HMPPS | |
| 7 | Some elements of the prison’s physical security require immediate improvement. | HMPPS | |
| 8 | Prisoner property – we remain concerned that prisoners do not receive ‘in possession’ property from reception in a timely manner. This causes avoidable frustration on the residential wings for prisoners, staff and IMB members alike. | Governor / Director | |
| 9 | Purposeful activity – we remain concerned that too many men are not meaningfully engaged in education or work opportunities. | Governor / Director | |
| 10 | Key work – the Board is provided with daily updates on the number of recorded key worker sessions. The Board is grateful to the Governor for the provision of this data. In some limited cases, key workers are providing detailed information on issues relayed to them by prisoners via the case notes on Digital Prison Services (DPS), but do not necessarily follow up on these, resulting in applications to the IMB. | Governor / Director |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 10 | 21 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 5 | 7 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 16 | 23 |
| Equality | 2 | 4 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 9 | 16 |
| Food and kitchens | 4 | 6 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 35 | 64 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 7 | 16 |
| Miscellaneous | 24 | 38 |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 9 | 12 |
| Property within the establishment | 10 | 13 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 17 | 18 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 5 | 3 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 26 | 40 |
| Transfers | 4 | 1 |
Related inspections & investigations
Other reports for Wakefield
Report details
- Establishment
- Wakefield
- Type
- Prison · Cat High Security (A/B)
- Report year
- 2023
- Published
- 15 March 2024
- Responsible body
- HMP Wakefield
- Recommendations
- 10
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 3 — Good
Population
| Population | 740 |
Service providers
Education
Milton Keynes College (MKC)
Estate maintenance
Amey
Family support
Partners of Prisoners (POPS)
Healthcare
Practice Plus Group (PPG)
Prisoner transport (for non-category A prisoners)
GeoAmey
Substance misuse treatment provider
Practice Plus Group and Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust