Source · IMB Annual Report
Peterborough (women)
Year: 2023
Published: 20 Oct 2023
Type: Prison · Cat women's, YOI
Recommendations: 5
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP/YOI Peterborough (Women) is generally well-led, offering a disciplined and fair regime with humane treatment. Key strengths include improved safety focus, reduced self-harm (despite a prolific individual temporarily skewing numbers), and increased education attendance. However, significant concerns remain regarding the influx of severely mentally ill prisoners not receiving appropriate external care, delays in prescribed medication, and inconsistencies in key work delivery and regime due to staff shortages. The Board highlights challenges in resettlement, particularly accommodation, and issues with delays in offender management processes.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 1 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 2,882 | 1,154 |
| Prisoner assaults | 23 | 29 |
| Assaults on staff | 65 | 43 |
| Use of force | 270 | 238 |
Positive findings
The Board has found HMP Peterborough to be generally well led and managed, with a disciplined, structured and fair regime. Prisoners are treated with respect, care and compassion. There has been a maintained focus on safety, with much improved multi-disciplinary working, and the staff of the Healthcare Unit are commended for their vigilance and compassion. A welcome decrease in positive results from mandatory drug tests was noted. Accommodation, facilities, food, and canteen services are generally good, and segregation is well managed. Education attendance has increased post-Covid-19, and special educational needs (SEND) are well embedded. Priority is given to maintaining family links and resettling prisoners into accommodation.
Key concerns
Mental Health
The number of prisoners showing extreme symptoms of mental illness, who should be directed to appropriate healthcare pathways rather than being detained in prison.
Healthcare
Prisoners being left without prescribed medications for days and in some cases weeks upon arrival, transfer, or return from appointments, which is a factor in self-harm.
Estate/Conditions
Inadequate climate control in cells during extreme weather, with insufficient fan provision in summer and heating issues in winter.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The inconsistent quality and decreased compliance of key worker allocation and contact, with some prisoners unaware of the system.
Mental Health
Concerning delays in arranging assessment and admission to hospital for mentally unwell prisoners, and a perceived shortfall in psychiatric coverage.
Staffing
Staff shortages requiring curtailment of the regime, particularly at weekends and impacting purposeful activity like library access.
Resettlement/Release
Delays in completion of risk assessments for Home Detention Curfew (HDC) and Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) applications due to Community Offender Management (COM) input.
Resettlement/Release
Securing ample post-release accommodation remains a significant challenge, despite exceeding the target percentage.
Food/Catering
Several key items of kitchen equipment are unserviceable, causing significant strain on the kitchen to produce a full menu.
Equality/Diversity
Insufficient smaller/petite size clothing available in reception, impacting prisoners' self-esteem and well-being.
Food/Catering
Verbal complaints that food is bland and 'stodgy', with requests for more salads and fruit.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Insufficient staff resources to consistently and promptly process social video call applications for family contact.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Significant postal delays causing distress and frustration to prisoners, likely due to staff shortages.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can the Minister work with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure women with serious mental health issues in the criminal justice system are directed to an appropriate pathway? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 2 | Can the Minister take action to prevent prisons being deemed a place of safety for women with serious mental health issues? | Ministry of Justice | |
| 3 | What steps is the Service taking to ensure that the Probation Service is adequately staffed, especially in respect of Community Offender Managers? | HMPPS | |
| 4 | Can the Director take steps to ensure women’s regime is not curtailed because of staff shortages? | Governor / Director | |
| 5 |
Can the Director continue to focus on embedding quality key work?
Repeated
Response
Coverage improved and refresher training delivered to key workers. Further work needed to embed. |
Governor / Director |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 21 | 12 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 9 | 10 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 0 | 4 |
| Equality | 5 | 15 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 19 | 6 |
| Food and kitchens | 2 | 3 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 54 | 92 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions | 21 | 23 |
| Miscellaneous | 24 | 4 |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 4 | 3 |
| Property within the establishment | 17 | 29 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell | 14 | 7 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 24 | 15 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 48 | 39 |
| Transfers | 4 | 0 |
Other reports for Peterborough (women)
Report details
- Establishment
- Peterborough (women)
- Type
- Prison · Cat women's, YOI
- Report year
- 2023
- Published
- 20 October 2023
- Responsible body
- Peterborough (women)
- Recommendations
- 5
Population
| Operational capacity | 372 |
| Time out of cell | 7.5h/day |
Service providers
Accommodation support for sentenced prisoners
Seetec
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Core resettlement to Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire
Advance Charity
Core resettlement to Cambridgeshire and Norwich
St. Giles Trust
Core resettlement to Leicestershire
Changing Lives
Employment support
Job Centre Plus
GP service
Medco
Integrated substance misuse service
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Learning and skills provision
Sodexo Justice Services
Legal advice
Reeds Solicitors
Mental health support
MIND
Physical healthcare
Sodexo Justice Services
Primary mental healthcare services
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Probation services
National Probation Service
Secondary mental healthcare services
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Skills and employability support
Shaw Trust
Substance misuse
Change Grow Live (CGL) Cambridgeshire
Supported housing for those on HDC or bail
Bail Accommodation and Support Services (BASS)
Support for foreign national women
Hibiscus
Support for mother and child relationships
Not Beyond Redemption