Safety
Safety has been compromised throughout the year by staffing shortages, the inexperience of some new recruits and the inconsistency of the regime.
Safety
In both prisoner on prisoner assaults, and prisoner on staff assaults, Styal has the highest rates in the female estate.
Safety
The prison recorded the third highest level of self-harm in the women’s estate, with much of this increase attributed to the lack of a predictable regime.
Mental Health
Repeated
The prison continues to be challenged by the need to manage many prisoners with severe and enduring mental health problems and complex needs. Nationally, there is still a pressing need for more specialist facilities that can be easily accessed, particularly psychiatric units.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Accommodation remains a key issue in the prison, with particular regard to decency, disability and dignity, given the limited access to bathrooms and toilets, and the ongoing maintenance issues in the 17 residential houses.
Healthcare
Repeated
The inability to consistently provide safe and timely administration of medicine remains a concern, compounded by inadequate pharmacy accommodation and shortages of both prison and healthcare staff.
Staffing
Repeated
Reduced staffing levels have had a significant impact on the operational activities in the prison, impacting on safety and mental health. The prison staffing budget, with an ineffective rate of 20%, appears insufficient to cover all duties.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
The Library service did not consistently meet minimum statutory access requirements for all prisoners, and access to other activities (education and employment) was negatively affected by lack of staffing and regime restrictions.
Resettlement/Release
The Pre-Release Team and Community Rehabilitative Services (CRS) providers have all struggled to fill vacancies for much of the year, with the result that only minimum services could be provided. This has been compounded by a lack of funding so that by the end of the year it was no longer certain that every prisoner on release could be supplied with a mobile phone and some credit to enable them to make essential calls to, for example, their Community Probation Officer.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
There is a reduced number of programmes to support prisoners to understand and modify their behaviour, due to a lack of qualified staff.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
Access to suitable prison issue clothing for female prisoners remains a key concern, with the planned introduction of female specific clothing not yet fully implemented.