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Send

AI-generated report summary HMP Send is a closed women's prison that made significant efforts to ensure prisoner safety and humane treatment during a challenging year. While the Board noted positive staff-prisoner relationships, persistent staff shortages, particularly in OMU and probation, negatively impacted services and progression. Key concerns include high self-harm rates, the lack of digital in-cell technology, the unjust detention of IPP prisoners, and property issues during transfers.

Year: 2023 Published: 7 Sep 2023 Type: Prison · Cat closed women's Population: 177 Recommendations: 14 Key concerns Positive findings
Original IMB report page ↗ Ministerial response · 1 Nov 2023 ↗

Safety statistics

Incidents during reporting year
IndicatorThis yearPrevious
Self-harm incidents867837
ACCT cases opened174—
Prisoner assaults199
Assaults on staff1319
Use of force98184

Positive findings

AI-generated summary
The Board commends the management and staff for their efforts in ensuring safety and fostering positive relationships with prisoners. Healthcare provision was largely good despite staff shortages, with the dental surgery refurbished and a successful hepatitis C screening event. The prison saw improvements in complaints response times and the resumption of education courses, DTC, and PIPE activities. Positive developments included an Employment Hub and Jobs Fair, as well as a return to Saturday afternoon social visits.

Key concerns

11 items
Mental Health Repeated Self-harm remains worryingly high with a significant proportion of the incidents carried out by a small number of prisoners whose behaviour is defined as prolific (those who have self-harmed five or more times a month). The Board continues to believe that prison is not an appropriate place to rehabilitate traumatised individuals and that prisoners with severe mental health issues should be accommodated in secure mental health units.
Regime/Time Out of Cell Repeated The continued lack of digital in-cell technology remains a significant concern.
Resettlement/Release Repeated It is unjust that there are two indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) prisoners, held well beyond their tariff.
Staffing Repeated Staff shortages within the Offender Management Unit (OMU), and for probation officers, have impacted services to prisoners.
Other The delays and losses of property on transfer from one prison to another need coordinated action by the whole female prison estate and the contracted transfer service providers.
Equality/Diversity Repeated The overall impression of the Board is that the management of discrimination incident report forms (DIRFs) is disorganised. Furthermore, there is no longer an independent scrutiny of DIRFs (5.4).
Resettlement/Release The Board would like to see an increase in the number and diversity of prisoners accessing ROTL.
Safety The Board would like to see an improvement in the number and timeliness of use of force (UoF) debriefs.
Healthcare The waiting lists for routine dental treatment deteriorated significantly during the year.
Healthcare Obesity among prisoners remains worryingly high.
Mental Health The waiting time for individual counselling or psychology services may run to several months.

Recommendations

14 items · 6 repeated

Recommendation 1

Addressee: Other — minister

The Board continues to believe that prison is not an appropriate place to rehabilitate traumatised individuals and that prisoners with severe mental health issues should be accommodated in secure mental health units.

Repeated Source text verified

Government response
The Mental Health Bill of June 2022 seeks to improve the support for people with acute mental health needs, including those who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The Bill includes the provision to introduce a statutory limit of 28 days for transfers to hospital. The Bill also includes reforms to end the use of prison as a place of safety.

Recorded status:

Topic: Mental Health

Recommendation 2

Addressee: Other — minister

The Board noted the Justice Committee recommendation, of September 2022, that a re-sentencing exercise is the only way to address the injustice of IPP sentences and found the response of the Government in rejecting this recommendation in February 2023 disappointing.

Repeated Source text verified

Government response
At HMP Send the Women’s Estate Psychology Service (WEPS) works closely with OMU and others to provide a proactive risk assessment in response to the parole process for IPP women.The IPP prisoner mentioned in the annual report has now progressed from HMP Send to an open prison.

Recorded status:

Topic: Resettlement

Recommendation 3

Addressee: HMPPS

The continuing failure to roll out digital technology to Send is unacceptable and amounts to unfair treatment for prisoners at Send.

Repeated Source text verified

Government response
The prioritisation of prisons is being carefully considered balancing available funds and greatest need. It is also recognised that there have been delays in mobilising IT for prisoners to use due to security concerns and alternatives are being trialled.

Recorded status:

Topic: Regime

Recommendation 4

Addressee: HMPPS

The shortage of probation officers, both at Send – where four of the six full-time equivalent probation officer posts are currently vacant – and in the community, has had a damaging effect on prisoners’ progression and prospects for successful reintegration into society.

Repeated Source text verified

Government response
Recruitment marketing campaigns are being used on a variety of channels to attract candidates.

Recorded status:

Topic: Staffing

Recommendation 5

Addressee: HMPPS

The OMiC model cannot be implemented successfully with current staffing issues.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Staffing

Recommendation 6

Addressee: HMPPS

The delays and losses of property on transfer from one prison to another need coordinated action by the whole female prison estate and the contracted transfer service providers.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Other

Recommendation 7

Addressee: HMPPS

Some prisoners identify plaiting/braiding as an important part of racial identity, yet this hairdressing module is not offered under the current education curriculum.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Equality

Recommendation 8

Addressee: Governor / Director

The Board would like to see an improvement in the number and timeliness of use of force (UoF) debriefs.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Safety

Recommendation 9

Addressee: Governor / Director

The Board is concerned about the impact of prison staffing issues on delivering regular keywork as intended in the OMiC model.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Staffing

Recommendation 10

Addressee: Governor / Director

The overall impression of the Board is that the management of discrimination incident report forms (DIRFs) is disorganised. Furthermore, there is no longer an independent scrutiny of DIRFs.

Repeated Source text verified

Government response
7.This has not taken place during the reporting year

Recorded status:

Topic: Equality

Recommendation 11

Addressee: Governor / Director

The Board would like to see an increase in the number and diversity of prisoners accessing ROTL.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Resettlement

Recommendation 12

Addressee: Governor / Director

Hair and beauty/skincare have been raised in applications by black, Asian and minority ethnic prisoners who complain that there is inadequate provision of suitable products for them on canteen.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Equality

Recommendation 13

Addressee: Governor / Director

The Board would like to see more prisoners engaged in education.

Repeated Source text verified

Government response
1. Education was seen as a priority.

Recorded status:

Topic: Education

Recommendation 14

Addressee: Governor / Director

The Board would like to see the teaching of beauty resumed.

Source text verified

Recorded status:

Topic: Education

Applications to the IMB

CategoryCurrentPrevious
Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions 6 9
Canteen, facility list, catalogues 1 2
Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions 13 6
Equality 8 4
Finance, including pay, private monies, spends 1 8
Food and kitchens 8 9
Health, including physical, mental, social care 21 11
Letters, visits, telephones, public protection, restrictions 24 21
Miscellaneous 10 8
Property during transfer or in another facility 17 8
Property within the establishment 18 12
Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, time out of cell 10 17
Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation 20 6
Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying 11 12
Transfers 5 0

Related inspections & investigations

17 Mar 2025 HMIP · Unannounced Safety 4 · Respect 4 · Activity 3 · Release 4
10 May 2021 HMIP · Unannounced
— PPO fatal incident Ann Browning · Natural causes
— PPO fatal incident Georgina Vilella
— PPO fatal incident Stella McNulty
— PPO fatal incident Scarlet Witch
6 Jan 2024 PPO fatal incident Kim Chapman · Natural causes

Other reports for Send

2025 Published 10 Sep 2025 Population 245 · Self-harm 590 · Concerns
2024 Published 27 Sep 2024 Population 247 · Self-harm 479 · Concerns
2022 Published 16 Aug 2022 Population 182 · Self-harm 837 · Concerns
2021 Published 26 Aug 2021 Population 168 · Self-harm 510 · Concerns
2020 Published 10 Jul 2020 · Self-harm 543 · Concerns