Recommendation 1
The Board urges that the recent decision to suspend the ROTL pilot be reviewed
Source · IMB Annual Report
Warren Hill
AI-generated report summary Warren Hill maintained a safe environment despite Covid-19 constraints, effectively managing outbreaks and promoting positive staff-prisoner interactions. The IMB commends the prison's efforts in harmonising regimes and establishing on-site approved premises. However, persistent issues with food provision, the suspension of the ROTL pilot, and challenges related to prisoner property and in-cell telephony remain significant concerns, along with the impact of recent parole changes on prisoner morale and progression.
Year: 2022
Published: 24 Oct 2022
Type: Prison · Cat C
Recommendations: 5
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 2 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 26 | — |
| ACCT cases opened | 45 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 5 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 1 | — |
| Use of force | 3 | — |
| Drug finds | 7 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe IMB found Warren Hill to be a safe prison with generally good staff-prisoner relationships and humane treatment. They commended the successful Covid vaccination rollout, the harmonisation of the regime, and the establishment of on-site approved premises. Purposeful activity for older prisoners has improved, and the prison maintains its commitment to the Enabling Environment.
Key concerns
Ongoing issues with the quality, quantity, choice, and temperature of food provided from Hollesley Bay kitchen, with the Board reiterating its call for a kitchen to be reinstated at Warren Hill.
Source wording under review
The suspension of the Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) pilot, which is deeply regretted by the Board due to its value in resettlement and progression.
Source wording under review
The response from the Minister of State for Justice in January 2022 to this IMB’s request for information about new guidelines on the movement of property stated that the revised framework would be published early in 2023.1 This problem is clearly an intractable one as the issue has been raised by this Board for at least the last six years.
While the in-cell telephony has proved popular with residents and has reduced the cost of calls, the Board asks the Prison Service to investigate the difficulties in the system which mean that some prisoners are charged for a connection to a phone when they are unable to leave a message (paragraph 7.4.3).
The recent decision by the Secretary of State to delay and in some cases prevent movement to category D conditions or to release following parole hearings is regrettable, as are the changes to the parole process which mean that professionals will be making assessments of risk but will no longer make recommendations as to suitability for release. Prisoners who have come to Warren Hill with the intention of demonstrating the ways in which they have changed and reduced their risk are being denied this opportunity and their progression may be hindered. The IMB has noted the loss of morale among prisoners approaching parole hearings.
Challenges in healthcare, including locum GP shortages and discrepancies in social care funding from different local authorities.
Source wording under review
New cell doors are required but will not be fitted before 2025 and the issue remains on the prison’s risk register. Concern remains about some cells where secondary inundation points are not possible.
PeoplePlus, the education provider, has struggled to deliver full services due to a combination of Covid restrictions and staff shortages. Staff absence or resignation has also contributed to its difficulties.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
Applications to the IMB about the movement of prisoners’ property continue to cause issues. As this report is being completed (August 2022), the long-awaited review of the handling of prisoners’ property has just been published and this Board hopes that this will at last provide some improvements
Recommendation 3
While the in-cell telephony has proved popular with residents and has reduced the cost of calls, the Board asks the Prison Service to investigate the difficulties in the system which mean that some prisoners are charged for a connection to a phone when they are unable to leave a message
Recommendation 4
In light of ongoing concerns about the provision of food from the Hollesley Bay kitchen, the Board asks again that consideration be given to reinstating the kitchens at Warren Hill
Recommendation 5
The prison has prioritised the need to ensure support for prisoners on release in order to reduce the recall rate (section 7). The IMB would like to see further development in this area, including the use of digital technologies which are so critical to successful functioning in the modern world
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 1 | 1 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 1 | — |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives schemes, sanctions | 2 | — |
| Equality | 1 | — |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | — |
| Food and kitchens | 6 | 6 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 3 | 8 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 4 | 4 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 2 | — |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 6 | 4 |
| Property within this establishment | 0 | — |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 4 | 0 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorization | 5 | 2 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 1 | 0 |
| Transfers | 1 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 4
· Respect 4
· Activity 3
· Release 4
Steve McBride · Self-inflicted
Bryn Tomaz-Daniels · Natural causes
Simon Penton · Natural causes
Individual at Warren Hill · Natural causes
Individual at Warren Hill · Natural causes
Other reports for Warren Hill
Population 267
· Self-harm 11
· Concerns
Population 270
· Self-harm 69
· Concerns
Population 240
· Self-harm 11
· Concerns
· Concerns
Population 237
· Concerns