Recommendation 1
Will the Minister confirm when we might expect the promised visit?
Government response
Minister accepted our invitation to visit.
Source · IMB Annual Report
Long Lartin
AI-generated report summary HMP Long Lartin faced a challenging year ending December 2022, primarily due to severe uniformed staff shortages that limited regime provision and hindered recovery from pandemic restrictions. Key concerns included inadequate infrastructure and maintenance, persistent issues with illicit items and safety, and the degrading conditions in cells lacking running water. Despite these challenges, healthcare provision saw some improvements, and the IMB maintained a productive relationship with prison management.
Year: 2022
Published: 14 Apr 2023
Type: Prison · Cat Category A and B male
Population: 530
Recommendations: 13
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 2 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 412 | 371 |
| Prisoner assaults | 114 | 93 |
| Assaults on staff | 70 | — |
| Use of force | 290 | 365 |
| Drug finds | 122 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe healthcare team made commendable efforts to reduce waiting times and improve long-term condition management, with immunisation and testing meeting national standards. The training of health champions has targeted appropriate interventions, and prisoners have good access to mental health and substance misuse support. The PIPE unit continues to function well, offering a positive environment with dedicated staff and diverse therapeutic activities. The Board also praised the chaplains for their significant contribution to prisoner welfare and the Pact team for facilitating successful family days.
Key concerns
The shortage of uniformed staff has severely hindered the prison from emerging from the period of restrictions made necessary by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The senior management team (SMT) have worked hard to try to provide a safe and decent environment but have been hindered by an ageing and unsatisfactory infrastructure and very poor maintenance support.
Unreliable faulty security systems and a visible infestation of rats have not been adequately addressed. The number of illegally held mobile phones is a potential safety risk. Most seriously, the seeming inability to minimise prisoners’ access to drugs and all the associated dangers is a constant threat to safety in the establishment.
Cells on four wings lack running water and sanitation, which falls below modern standards of decency for about half of all prisoners.
Prisoners remain in the Care, Separation and Reintegration Unit (CSRU) for extended periods for lack of more suitable alternatives, leading to inevitable deterioration in their condition.
The condition of most cells in the healthcare centre (HCC), particularly the inpatient unit and facilities for disabled prisoners, is not fit for purpose.
Significant waiting times for transfers to secure hospitals persist for mental health patients.
Source wording under review
Classroom education, vocational training, and work have been minimal due to staff shortages, leading to increased frustration among prisoners.
Source wording under review
The fabric and appliances in the kitchen are in a dismal state, constantly out of use or poorly repaired, affecting food quality and hygiene.
Source wording under review
Persistent importation of illicit items, including drugs and mobile phones, despite security measures.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1
Will the Prison Service continue to provide a sufficient number of detached uniformed staff to ensure safety and fair and humane treatment for prisoners?
Recommendation 1
Will the Governor give more priority to repairs and improvements to the security systems?
Recommendation 2
Will they give their assurance that due attention is being given to this issue? [cells on four wings lack running water and sanitation]
Government response
Details on the upgrade work to be completed in 2022 were provided.
Recommendation 2
Will the Prison Service play an active role in the management and monitoring of this contract to ensure that there is a marked improvement in the performance of Amey?
Government response
Contract is robustly monitored and managed but Amey and the contracts management team acknowledge that site is not performing as it should.
Recommendation 2
Will the Governor ensure that, during the forthcoming year, the fabric of the kitchen will be renovated to an acceptable standard for hygienic food production and that all unreliable and unserviceable kitchen appliances are properly repaired or replaced without delay?
Recommendation 3
Will the Minister give a clear lead on strategies to ensure that this unit [CSRU] is only used as a short-term measure?
Government response
Assured that all types of support were available to CSRU prisoners.
Recommendation 3
Will the Prison Service commit permanently to limiting the roll of CSRU prisoners to 26?
Recommendation 3
What steps is the Governor taking to reduce the importation of illicit items including drugs and mobile phones?
Recommendation 4
Will the Minister explain what action is being taken to ensure that waiting times for transfers to secure hospitals are reduced?
Government response
Maintained that average waiting times are improving but Covid-19 and associated restrictions continued to have an effect on waiting times.
Recommendation 4
The healthcare centre (HCC), and in particular the inpatient unit and facilities for disabled prisoners, are in need of urgent modernisation. Will the Prison Service give priority to complete refurbishment and improvement of the in-patient unit and replacement of the stairlift?
Recommendation 5
Will the Prison Service confirm that 2023 will see the standardisation of rules for transfer of prisoners’ property in the LTHSE?
Government response
A number of initiatives highlighted. Acknowledgment that there is disparity in policy between other prisons within LTHSE. Efforts being made to align policies where possible.
Recommendation 6
Will the Prison Service provide assurance that prisoners who need to use wheelchairs will not be transferred in when no suitable cells are available?
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 11 | 6 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 12 | 3 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 15 | 5 |
| Equality | 12 | 14 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 9 | 16 |
| Food and kitchens | 8 | 7 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 25 | 27 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 19 | 16 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 10 | 5 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 21 | 21 |
| Property within this establishment | 27 | 25 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 15 | 7 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 22 | 25 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 37 | 44 |
| Transfers | 6 | 13 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 2
· Respect 2
· Activity 2
· Release 3
Safety 2
· Respect 2
· Activity 1
· Release 2
Emmett Morrison · Self-inflicted
Nelson Harvey · Self-inflicted
Mark Apperley · Natural causes
Geoffrey Hutton · State Custody related deaths | Suicide (from 2015)
Richard Ormond · State Custody related deaths | Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths
David Kirsch · State Custody related deaths; Suicide (from 2015)
Sidonio Teixeira · State Custody related deaths
Seweryn Glowinski · State Custody related deaths
Other reports for Long Lartin
· Self-harm 514
· Concerns
Population 570
· Self-harm 664
· Concerns
Population 584
· Self-harm 525
· Concerns
Population 480
· Self-harm 370
· Concerns
· Self-harm 450
· Concerns