Recommendation 1
ensuring there are sufficient officers in post to offer a full regime
Source · IMB Annual Report
Doncaster
AI-generated report summary HMP Doncaster has shown overall improvements in calmness, cleanliness, and staff-prisoner engagement despite challenges. Key strengths include support for transgender prisoners and multiple faiths, appropriate segregation use, and positive resettlement initiatives like the 'departure lounge'. However, concerns remain regarding persistent restricted regimes due to staffing levels, the experience mix of officers, and prisoners' lack of confidence in complaint systems for equality issues and effective engagement with healthcare processes.
Year: 2022
Published: 21 Nov 2023
Type: Prison · Cat local category B resettlement
Recommendations: 5
Key concerns
Positive findings
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe Board views that the prison has improved across most observable indicators, feeling calmer, cleaner, and with improved staff-prisoner engagement. There is good awareness and respectful engagement with transgender prisoners, and all faiths are well-supported. The discrimination incident reporting form (DIRF) procedure has been refreshed, and segregation is used appropriately with a focus on reintegration. The prison provides healthcare to some who would not access it outside, and the development of a 'market street' with workshops and a 'departure lounge' for men on release are positive developments.
Key concerns
These restrictions have usually been driven by there being too few officers to offer a fuller regime in a controlled and safe manner. The restricted regime has prevented men from accessing activities, showers, and more.
The ratio of newer officers against experienced officers is likely to be less than optimum over the coming year, raising concerns about overall staff expertise and confidence.
However, we have spoken to a number of prisoners who have described unequal treatment and who perceive discrimination, but who express little confidence that ‘the system’ will enable meaningful investigation and consideration of their complaint and an appropriate outcome.
A number of prisoners are not able to engage effectively with healthcare, leading to them not making the best use of available care provision due to a lack of understanding of processes or agency.
Source wording under review
We are concerned that if inflation continues as it has done over recent months and if the prices of items purchased by prisoners via the canteen are impacted and rise (as is very likely), that the spending power of earnings from prison work will be adversely impacted. We ask that these are kept under close watch and that pay for work rises in line with price rises. We see this as fair and right for all of the men who work within the prison, but it is particularly important for those men with little money of their own who rely totally on prison pay to buy items from the canteen.
The number of prisoners in HMP Doncaster requires the sharing of cells as the norm, with single-cell occupancy following an assessment of risk or particular individual need. This means that most prisoners share a cell with limited space and a shared toilet screened only by a curtain. These issues are outside the control of prison management and are long-standing, but remain a decency concern for our Board.
Frequent loss of prisoners' property within the establishment, impacting morale and wellbeing, particularly for those with limited personal money or items of high sentimental value.
Source wording under review
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
monitoring the mix of experienced and less experienced officers
Recommendation 3
protecting the spending power of prisoners’ prison work earnings.
Recommendation 4
measures to improve prisoner confidence in the DIRF system
Recommendation 5
measures to improve prisoner ability to engage effectively with healthcare.
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 28 | 17 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 5 | 9 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives schemes, sanctions | 11 | 9 |
| Equality | 8 | 9 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 11 | 4 |
| Food and kitchens | 11 | 3 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 65 | 43 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 9 | 10 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 5 | 9 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 11 | 4 |
| Property within this establishment | 41 | 29 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 34 | 4 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 18 | 11 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 46 | 58 |
| Transfers | 5 | 10 |
Related inspections & investigations
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Eric Heald · Natural causes
Samuel Gale · State Custody related deaths
Other reports for Doncaster
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