Healthcare
Prisoners from England are not allowed to access medication which has not been approved by Betsi Cadwaladr, causing distress, particularly for mental health issues.
Mental Health
The Board is concerned about the waiting times for seriously mentally unwell prisoners to be transferred to secure psychiatric hospitals, due to a lack of beds.
Safety
The Board is concerned that out of area transfers cause difficulties for prisoners, who are far from their families, and for the prison, particularly because these prisoners are not known to the prison. This huge increase in prisoner churn makes it difficult to locate many prisoners safely, especially those who are not part of the regular prison population cohort.
Staffing
Repeated
There is a need for staff training on recognising and dealing with dementia and other age-related needs as the prison population ages.
Healthcare
Measures are needed to improve attendance at medical appointments, as DNA and CNA rates continue to rise.
Source wording under review
Complaints/Property
The Board is concerned about the number of adjudications which cannot continue because paperwork has not been correctly completed.
Education/Purposeful Activity
More programmes are needed for people with learning difficulties, as too few are accessing support.
Estate/Conditions
Legacy issues with the heating system and peeling plaster in cells persist, and laundry machine repairs can take up to eight weeks.
Source wording under review
Safety
Post-incident debriefs and use of force documentation are not always fully completed or on time.
Source wording under review
Substance Misuse
However the Board has noted that some initiatives, such as the new drug recovery wing, are taking some time to function effectively, and high expectations have not been met so far.
Resettlement/Release
There are a large number of IPP prisoners in HMP Berwyn – 57 in February 2023. In February 2023, to support the men affected by the government’s decision to reject the Justice Select Committee’s recommendation for a resentencing exercise, IPP prisoner forums have been held monthly – so far attended by 11 men, who engaged well. They said that unlike other prisoners they do not have milestones, and that staff do not realise the effect negative entries for minor misdemeanours can have on their sentence.
Education/Purposeful Activity
However the Board is concerned that within this figure approximately 60% attended the morning session and 80% the afternoon session.
Staffing
Shortages of operational staff and probation officers, and the OMU and complaints department remaining seriously understaffed, lead to restricted regimes and overdue complaints.
Source wording under review