Resettlement/Release
The number of inappropriate transfers has risen over the last year. This includes prisoners who are transferred on open assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) documents and prisoners who have only been in prison for a few days or weeks. Hence, prisoner flow is still not working as it should.
Resettlement/Release
Whilst the situation regarding the transfer prisoners to Cat D establishments has improved the transfer of prisoners to Cat B establishments takes too long.
Resettlement/Release
Our view is that the Population Management Unit (PMU) is ineffective and a significant contributing factor to the issue of transferring prisoners mentioned above.
Resettlement/Release
The waiting times for programmes is too long when prisoners are required to complete programmes as part of their sentence plan.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Wing-based electronic kiosks should be provided on the wings.
Food/Catering
With the rise in the cost of living, particularly food, the food allowance allocated to feed each prisoner needs to be increased.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
The education provider is still not providing a good service (as also reported in last year’s annual report) and the education contract needs to be reviewed.
Staffing
Repeated
continued effort is needed to address the staffing and recruitment levels.
Mental Health
Repeated
the time taken to transfer suitable prisoners to secure mental health facilities is too long.
Resettlement/Release
the number of prisoners being released directly from Stocken has also increased which, given Stocken is not a resettlement prison, is a concern for the Board. The prison is not funded as a resettlement prison and it is not satisfactory for establishments like Stocken to have to bid for funding and resources in order to ensure prisoners are resettled properly on release.
Overcrowding
There are concerns that provision of other facilities will not be increased despite the increased number of prisoners and some single cells have had to be converted to double occupancy.
Segregation
Repeated
Board is concerned about prisoners being held in segregation for extended periods of time before being transferred to secure mental health facilities.
Staffing
Key working has not returned to the level achieved before the pandemic and is being impacted by staffing shortages.
Other
Repeated
lost property is still an issue particularly when prisoners are transferred from another establishment, with a lack of cooperation from establishments regarding complaints and volumetric controls. This issue has not been addressed.
Healthcare
Stocken still does not have a dispensing pharmacy and the Board would like the opening of one in the prison to be considered.
Substance Misuse
prisoners on methadone were not being reviewed regularly enough to promote reduction.