Recommendations 14 items · 7 repeated
Recommendations were extracted from the report by AI, and responses and their status from the ministerial response by AI. Each recommendation shows whether its wording has been checked against the report.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Healthcare · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To strengthen the collaborative working arrangements with the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and its commissioners in order to ensure that the levels of service provided in the prison correspond with the services available in the community. The Board also refers to its concerns about the shortages of healthcare staff in the prison and in particular the lack of night healthcare cover.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Staffing
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To ensure that staffing levels and resources are brought up to and maintained at the required level to operate the full regime effectively and improve safety within the prison. The Board observes that a more effective regime of searching for drugs and prohibited items, which includes all staff, visitors and contractors, will improve safety and reduce risk in the prison.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Other
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To lead in the development of a strengthened working relationship between all prison staff and the members of the Board, which is based on mutual respect for their respective roles and which enables the IMB to fulfil its statutory duty.
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Safety · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
The Board continues to request that priority be given to holding coroners’ inquests for deaths in custody to provide bereaved families with an understanding of the circumstances of the deaths of their relatives.
Government response (as published)
While formal responses were received by the Board about all of these issues, very little progress has been made. For example, the government did not accept the recommendation of the Justice Select Committee to resentence IPP prisoners; and the matter of prisoners with severe mental health disorders is still under review. In the matter of delayed inquests, the Board was informed that inquests for deaths in custody prior to 2021 would be prioritised and completed by May 2023. During the reporting year, two of three delayed inquests were conducted, one of which concluded with HM Coroner issuing a prevention of future deaths notice in January 2023.
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Resettlement · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
The Board believes there should be a renewed focus and energy on reviewing the sentences of indeterminate sentenced (IPP) prisoners, as this recommendation from the Justice Select Committee was not accepted.
Government response (as published)
While formal responses were received by the Board about all of these issues, very little progress has been made. For example, the government did not accept the recommendation of the Justice Select Committee to resentence IPP prisoners; and the matter of prisoners with severe mental health disorders is still under review.
Addressee: Ministry of Justice · Topic: Resettlement
Recommendation (the Board's words)
The Board feels that the amendments to the Parole Board rules, which came into force in July 2022, are denying opportunities for prisoners who are seeking transfer to open conditions or moving towards release. The Board would like to see the opinions and recommendations of prison and probation staff being given due consideration when such decisions are made.
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Regime
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To find a speedy solution to ensure that reliable remote video-calling is provided for prisoners at HMP Lowdham Grange. This service has been completely unreliable since it was introduced and has caused many remote calls to be cancelled, causing distress for prisoners and their families.
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Resettlement
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To give priority in the matter of resourcing the probation services with regard to pre-release management and to support for prisoners after their release back into the community.
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Education · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To ensure that high-quality and innovative programmes of rehabilitation, mental health provision, education, skills development and self-improvement are available for all prisoners. This must include defined standards and the minimum number of programmes to be delivered.
Government response (as published)
Positive formal responses were received on all these issues. However, little progress has been made, with the exception of the FLO training request.
Addressee: HMPPS · Topic: Other · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To give renewed emphasis to the development of a national system of storage and retrieval of prisoners’ property when prisoners are moved between prisons. The issuing of a revised framework in August 2022 has brought no change, and greater efforts are needed to find a national solution to this problem.
Government response (as published)
Positive formal responses were received on all these issues. However, little progress has been made, with the exception of the FLO training request.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Regime · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To deliver a fair and consistent regime that gives all prisoners opportunities to progress through their sentences through the provision of high-quality and innovative programmes of rehabilitation, mental health provision, education, skills development and self-improvement. The regime should also include prisoner-led initiatives and structured on-wing activities supported by prison custody officers (PCOs) and other staff.
Government response (as published)
No formal responses were received on any of these issues, apart from verbal assurances given in respect of adjudications. Even so, the Board has noted that the number of prisoners attending their adjudications fell away by the autumn and prisoners reported that they had not been told of their hearings and/or had not been able to attend for reasons related to the prison regime. With regard to the need for high-quality support and learning programmes to help prisoners progress through their sentences, education provision has been at a very low level throughout the year and prisoners who required level one in numeracy and literacy to obtain jobs could not access courses.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Healthcare · Repeated from a previous year
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To strengthen the collaborative working arrangements with the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and its commissioners in order to ensure that the levels of service provided in the prison correspond with the services available in the community. The Board also refers to its concerns about the shortages of healthcare staff in the prison and in particular the lack of night healthcare cover.
Government response (as published)
No formal responses were received on any of these issues, apart from verbal assurances given in respect of adjudications.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Staffing
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To ensure that staffing levels and resources are brought up to and maintained at the required level to operate the full regime effectively and improve safety within the prison. The Board observes that a more effective regime of searching for drugs and prohibited items, which includes all staff, visitors and contractors, will improve safety and reduce risk in the prison.
Addressee: Governor / Director · Topic: Other
Recommendation (the Board's words)
To lead in the development of a strengthened working relationship between all prison staff and the members of the Board, which is based on mutual respect for their respective roles and which enables the IMB to fulfil its statutory duty.