Recommendation 1
When are these men (IPP) going to be allowed the opportunity to prove that they do not pose a risk to the public and what support will be put in place to assist their reintegration into society?
Source · IMB Annual Report
Buckley Hall
AI-generated report summary HMP Buckley Hall, a Category C prison, reported a population of 465 against an operational capacity of 469 for the year ending July 2023. The Board observed positive staff-prisoner relationships, new mental health initiatives like 'The Hive', and an employment hub aiding resettlement. Key concerns included low establishment stability, delays in prison maintenance and transfers, the negative impact of the IPP resentencing decision, and persistent regime disruptions due to staffing shortages and roll call errors.
Year: 2023
Published: 6 Dec 2023
Type: Prison · Cat C
Population: 465
Recommendations: 7
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 1 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe Board observed staff treating prisoners well and building good working relationships. Use of force incidents are professionally carried out and scrutinised. The morning briefings are positively reviewed and observed by other establishments. A new neurodiversity service and a new psychologist have been introduced, and the mental health 'Hive' provides opportunities for learning and socialising. An employment hub has opened to assist with resettlement, and the prison visitors scheme has improved uptake significantly. The drug strategy has also improved with more prisoners engaging with DARS.
Key concerns
The stability at Buckley Hall is low throughout the establishment.
CCTV has still not been installed within the healthcare building, resulting in additional staff being allocated to manage the risk during the dispensing of medication.
The decision to reject the resentencing recommendation for IPP prisoners has had a very negative impact, especially on those men who have never been released.
There is a long wait for recategorisation and signing off by the minister to enable those who are ready to progress to a category D prison.
There is a great inconsistency across the prison estate for prisoners as to what they can and cannot have as property items and the quantity they can store/transfer.
An increase in new prisoners arriving to Buckley Hall, who would not normally be placed there, is causing disruption.
There has been very slow progress in both the maintenance of the prison, in particular the installation of new showers and repairs, as well as the delay in transfers taking place promptly as a result of the overcrowding within the prison population.
Issues with medication dosages being reduced is causing problems too often as from Board observations changes do not seem to be explained to the patient thoroughly.
Prisoners with severe mental health issues are kept in the segregation unit for far longer than they should be as places at secure hospitals are difficult to secure.
Roll call is too often wrong and needs recounting, leading to a stand fast which disrupts gym sessions, health appointments, and work.
Wings are regularly locked down on rotation because of staffing levels and staff training.
There is a long waiting list for physiotherapy, as there was no service available for some time.
Concerns were raised about an elderly, stooped prisoner who needed a walking stick being handcuffed to an officer for a hospital visit.
Parole board recommendations appear to be not implemented promptly if at all. As 9 men who have been recommended by the parole board only 3 have been granted their transfer as of July 2023.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
Is there a plan to improve the recategorisation and signing off by the minister to enable those who are ready to progress to a category D prison?
Recommendation 3
There is a great inconsistency across the prison estate for prisoners as to what they can and cannot have as property items, the quantity of property they can store within their cell or transfer across the estate. Given this causes significant issues during transfers, are there any intentions of streamlining this and introducing this as a standard policy applicable to all prisons?
Recommendation 4
When will CCTV be installed in Healthcare?
Recommendation 5
What measures are being implemented to review any poor performance with the Amey contract?
Recommendation 6
When will the handyman scheme be rolled out?
Recommendation 7
The Board would recommend that the existing configuration of chairs for prisoners and visitors is maintained.
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 36 | 35 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 4 | 2 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 24 | 24 |
| Equality | 5 | 6 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 15 | 11 |
| Food and kitchens | 6 | 5 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 53 | 32 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 42 | 38 |
| Miscellaneous | 5 | 0 |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 31 | 52 |
| Property within the establishment | 41 | 50 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 29 | 21 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 48 | 77 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 7 | 7 |
| Transfers | 10 | 7 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 3
· Respect 3
· Activity 2
· Release 4
Arron Hamer · Self-inflicted
Russell Trelore · Natural causes
Terence Townsend · Natural causes
Brennan, Ryan · Self-inflicted
Individual at Buckley Hall · Self-inflicted
Other reports for Buckley Hall
Population 460
· Concerns
Population 444
· Concerns
· Self-harm 132
· Concerns
· Concerns
· Self-harm 105
· Concerns