Recommendation 1
The Board invites the Minister to consider whether a community hospital, serving other prisons in the south-west, could be sited at HMP The Verne.
Source · IMB Annual Report
The Verne
AI-generated report summary HMP The Verne, an adult training prison for men convicted of sexual offences, has largely restored its 'core day' regime following COVID-19, maintaining a safe environment with good staff-prisoner relationships and high-quality healthcare. However, the report highlights critical issues, particularly regarding the inadequate 24-hour social care and onsite hospital provision for its growing elderly and frail population. Significant understaffing in the Offender Management Unit continues to undermine resettlement efforts for the substantial number of prisoners released directly from this training prison, alongside concerns about low prisoner pay and a third of the population lacking purposeful activity.
Year: 2022
Published: 22 Feb 2023
Type: Prison · Cat C
Population: 599
Recommendations: 3
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 4 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 85 | — |
| ACCT cases opened | 53 | 96 |
| Prisoner assaults | 29 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 2 | — |
| Use of force | 11 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe Verne is a very safe prison where instances of violence are rare, and disruptive behaviour is dealt with promptly. The prevailing ethos is one of mutual respect between staff and prisoners, and relationships are good. The IMB is confident that HMP The Verne effectively monitors and addresses the needs of all communities, with staff showing conscientiousness in respecting minorities. Healthcare provision is of a consistently high standard, with reduced waiting lists and mental health provision assessed as 'excellent' by the CQC. The chaplaincy team's dedication is highly regarded.
Key concerns
The lack of 24-hour provision for an as yet small but growing number of frail elderly prisoners who need regular personal care.
The Offender Management Unit is seriously understaffed, with only two part-time probation officers against a complement of eight full-time, and similar shortfalls in POMs and senior probation officers.
The Board does not consider the resettlement provision to be satisfactory, especially for the significant number of prisoners released directly into the community from a training prison, compounded by a lack of dedicated funding.
There is currently no plan to establish a 'community hospital' at The Verne, despite previous discussions, which would save staff time on escort and bedwatch duties and reduce cancelled external appointments.
Around one-third of the prison roll are not engaged in purposeful activity.
There is some discontent among prisoners that payment is very low, and considerably lower than in most other prisons.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
The Board urges HMPPS to expedite the establishment of a facility enabling 24-hour social care at The Verne (para. 6.3.5).
Recommendation 3
The Board encourages the Governor to continue the search for further employment opportunities for Verne prisoners (para. 7.2.3).
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 7 | 1 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 5 | 1 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives scheme, sanctions | 3 | 1 |
| Equality | 2 | 0 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 3 | 1 |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 7 | 3 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 9 | 0 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 8 | 2 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 8 | 2 |
| Property within this establishment | 3 | 1 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 3 | 1 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorization | 5 | 3 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 2 | 1 |
| Transfers | 2 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 4
· Respect 3
· Activity 2
· Release 2
Reginald Northrop · Natural causes
Philip Eldridge · Natural causes
George Haldenby · Natural causes
Other reports for The Verne
Population 645
· Self-harm 222
· Concerns
Population 605
· Self-harm 140
· Concerns
Population 606
· Self-harm 58
· Concerns
Population 557
· Self-harm 54
· Concerns
Population 551
· Self-harm 73
· Concerns