Recommendation 1
What measures will you take to improve levels of available staffing for Feltham? What steps will be taken to retain experienced staff?
Source · IMB Annual Report
Feltham
AI-generated report summary Feltham, comprising a YOI (A side) and a Cat C prison (B side), faced significant challenges in the reporting year ending August 2023, primarily due to severe staff shortages impacting regime delivery, time out of cell, and purposeful activity. While staff were commended for their dedication, these shortages led to increased incidents on A side and curtailed essential services and rehabilitative programs across both sides. Key concerns also included the inadequate education provision for separated young people, safety in communal showers on B side, and the ongoing issue of lost prisoner property.
Year: 2023
Published: 12 Mar 2024
Type: Prison · Cat YOI and Cat C
Population: 569
Recommendations: 14
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 0 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe IMB commends staff for their dedicated service and efforts to maintain humane treatment and regime delivery despite significant challenges. Positive aspects included efficient arrival processing, diligent efforts to prevent self-harm, and generally good staff-prisoner relations. The catering service received universal praise for food quality, especially during Ramadan. Significant improvements were also noted in the segregation unit's exercise yard and the successful implementation of various accredited and non-accredited sports and activity programs. The resettlement hub also showed positive results in helping prisoners prepare for release by securing IDs and bank accounts.
Key concerns
The lack of available operational staff and the loss of experienced staff are hampering the delivery of a rehabilitative regime.
Staff shortages were a major problem in the reporting year on both A and B sides. As a result, the prison struggled to deliver the basic regime and time out of room was severely curtailed. Cancellation of activities was ongoing over the course of the reporting year.
Education and rehabilitative programmes are limited and often not appropriate for the children and men in custody.
In the Board’s view, the needs of an increasing number of children with complex mental health needs cannot be met at Feltham. Children are referred to the ESU from other establishments with little prior consultation; no consideration is given to the impact on existing residents or how these children will interact with each other.
There has been a significant number of assaults in communal showers.
There are high numbers of men refusing to attend education and/or workshops out of fear for their personal safety.
The integrated framework known as “Secure Stairs” for support, care and regular engagement with young offenders in custody does not appear to the IMB to be in successful operation... young people at Feltham do not come out of their rooms for enough time for meaningful engagement with support services. Rehabilitation is not delivered.
Lost property causes anxiety and distress amongst all prisoners and creates volumes of frustrating work for staff whose time could be better spent elsewhere. The handling and transfer of prisoners’ personal property is poorly managed throughout the prison estate, with no use of up-to-date bar code and tracking technology. Property is lost without trace; staff resources are wasted.
Wellbeing services delivered through outreach to the residential units have been severely curtailed by both a lack of prison staff (and, to a lesser extent, a shortage of health care staff) and a lack of suitable private spaces on the residential units.
Lack of time out of room prevented access to exercise and education activities at different times throughout the reporting year, but particularly in the last three months over the summer. Custody Support Plan (CuSP) and Key Worker meetings were increasingly cancelled as staffing levels worsened.
Lack of staff, both in the prison and working in probation in the community, is hampering sentence planning and release.
The Board understands that, currently, the general policy is that no single transfers are permitted across the prison estate, which causes extreme distress for those far from home.
Many long-standing unresolved maintenance issues on the site, such as leaking roof lights.
Source wording under review
On A side, the education contract commenced in 2022 is not being adequately delivered. Those requiring outreach education are especially poorly served. One-third of children on A side have Special Educational Needs (SEN).
On B side, education and purposeful activity are not keeping pace with the needs of an older population. Many of the education and skills pathways are not meeting the real needs and future aspirations of the men now in Feltham B.
Underinvestment in the fabric of the Feltham estate remains an issue and the introduction of improved rehabilitative facilities will require investment.
The prison is not investigating why the population of Wren unit is generally made up of white young people, when a significant proportion of the prison population is black, Asian and minority ethnic.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
The lack of staff in the Probation Service negatively impacts sentence and resettlement planning. This results in more work for prison staff. What steps are being taken to affect recruitment to the Probation Service?
Recommendation 3
What measures will you be taking to ensure that staffing levels allow for prisoners to spend time out of their room engaged in purposeful activity?
Government response
After March 2023 staffing shortages prevented delivery of these for the rest of the reporting year.
Recommendation 4
When will there be resources targeted to address the issue of prisoners’ lost property?
Recommendation 5
What will the Government do to achieve better information sharing between Social Services and Youth Custody Services so that Looked After Children (LAC) can easily receive their statutory entitlements? Will you follow up on measures promised last year about how this can be addressed?
Government response
The IMB cannot measure any progress on this because it has become harder to obtain the relevant information for children.
Recommendation 6
What steps will be taken to address staff absence and improve the retention of staff?
Recommendation 7
What is being done to improve maintenance of the site? There are many long-standing unresolved issues, such as leaking roof lights.
Government response
The bricks and paints workshop is fully refurbished and open. The roof-replacement programme has not started: leaking roof light on CSRU has worsened and Conflict Resolution Office has had a leaking roof light for eight months. Some fabric much improved, e.g., Teal and Mallard units are now open and the CSRU exercise yard has been enhanced.
Recommendation 8
Can steps be taken to ensure the Local Education Authority funding for these children follows them?
Recommendation 9
What is being done to ensure an older cohort of prisoners have access to further education and training such that they can secure employment on release?
Recommendation 10
What proactive steps could be taken to reduce staff absence and to provide support for those on sick leave?
Recommendation 11
What can be done to improve delivery of Key Worker and CuSP sessions?
Recommendation 12
Please could more information be made available regarding TOoR - e.g. inclusion of data in Daily Briefing and flagging all children with less than two hours TOoR?
Recommendation 13
Could someone identify which spaces are available for outreach meetings. e.g. out-of-use corner rooms, etc?
Recommendation 14
Is the prison investigating why the population of Wren unit is generally made up of white young people, when a significant proportion of the prison population is black, Asian and minority ethnic?
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 45 | 38 |
| Discipline | 2 | 1 |
| Food | 10 | 7 |
| Health & Welfare | 17 | 19 |
| Legal | 0 | 1 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
| Property | 22 | 34 |
| Religion | 7 | 2 |
| Segregation | 16 | 13 |
| Staff | 15 | 18 |
Other reports for Feltham
Population 553
· Concerns
Population 582
· Concerns
Population 348
· Self-harm 160
· Concerns
Population 243
· Self-harm 89
· Concerns
Population 336
· Concerns