Recommendation 1
Given the major (infra)structural problems at Pentonville and overcrowding, how does the minister justify the instruction to the Governor to continue to increase the population?
Source · IMB Annual Report
Pentonville
AI-generated report summary Pentonville, a Category B/C YOI, operated with an average population of 1,043 against an operational capacity of 1,000, facing severe overcrowding and infrastructure issues. The reporting year was marked by significant staff shortages, leading to a restricted regime with many prisoners locked in cells for nearly 23 hours a day, hampering rehabilitation efforts. Key concerns include dilapidated buildings, disrupted mental health services, a critical gap in resettlement support for remand prisoners, and an underperforming Offender Management Unit. Positively, the prison saw success with its new drug-free wing and continued effective Covid-19 management.
Year: 2022
Published: 24 Aug 2022
Type: Prison · Cat B, C, YOI
Population: 1,043
Recommendations: 14
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 3 | 2 |
| Self-harm incidents | 564 | — |
| ACCT cases opened | 659 | 774 |
| Prisoner assaults | 327 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 201 | — |
| Use of force | 711 | 976 |
| Drug finds | 303 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe launch of a drug-free wing has been an impressive success, allowing prisoners in recovery to avoid drug culture. Initiatives like online co-education and the Time4Change programme are beacons of excellence, alongside outstanding chaplaincy and vital resettlement services from partners. Staff demonstrated compassion and robustly managed Covid-19, and efforts for a neurodiverse wing have been noteworthy.
Key concerns
The lack of privacy and cramped conditions, with men still forced to share cells designed for single occupancy, are not decent or humane. This situation is exacerbated by the crumbling fabric of the buildings, leading to vermin infestations and recurrent failures of heating and hot water.
Source wording under review
The SOWA regime meant that any prisoner not in work or education was locked up for almost 23 hours a day. This is far less time out of cell than during the pre-Covid 'association’, and is neither fair nor humane.
An almost complete lack of key work over the reporting year due to staff shortages meant that prisoners were denied the important additional support that this work is designed to provide.
Mental health services continued to be severely disrupted: there was a three-month waiting list. The award-winning wellbeing centre, a dedicated occupational therapy unit, was massively under-utilised and the IMB sees a risk of low expectations for its use becoming the norm.
In addition, following the re-contracting of resettlement work by the National Probation Service, many resettlement agencies were not contracted to work with remand prisoners (St Mungo’s being just one example). With the proportion of the population on remand having increased to almost 75%, and the fact that time served prisoners were not infrequently being released with little or no notice, this very significant sector of the population at Pentonville was unable to access resettlement services to help them transition back into life after release.
The poor performance of the offender management unit (OMU) meant that prisoners were not given even the most basic information about their sentences for weeks and sometimes months.
Drugs and other contraband remain ubiquitous in the prison, contributing to problems of debt-related violence which pose a constant threat to safety.
Source wording under review
Black and minority ethnic prisoners and young adults (YAs) are disproportionately overrepresented in use of force incidents, adjudications, and segregation, requiring further exploration and targeted support.
Source wording under review
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
When will you invest more in the fabric of the prison to provide a safe, decent and rehabilitative environment?
Recommendation 3
Will you commit to providing the necessary resources for the Governor to increase opportunities for education and activities in order to minimise the number of men who are locked up for almost 23 hours a day?
Recommendation 4
Will you commit to provide increased staffing to allow those who do not wish to engage in education or activities to be out of their cells for at least an hour morning and afternoon?
Recommendation 5
When will you invest in pay for prison staff in order to increase recruitment and retention rates?
Recommendation 6
Remanded prisoners are given few services to assist them with their release: given the big increase in the number of prisoners on remand, when will you address this critical gap in resettlement services?
Recommendation 7
Will the Prison Service increase the capacity of offending behaviour programmes and interventions at Pentonville, so that prisoners can benefit from these without needing to transfer to another prison?
Recommendation 8
Will you introduce more initiatives (like Graduates Unlocked) to help raise the calibre of people applying to be prison officers?
Recommendation 9
Property transfer between prisons, and systems regulating how much property prisoners may have, appear to be unworkable and unenforceable: will the Prison Service overhaul these at a national level?
Recommendation 10
Will you commit to a detailed review of the impact of the wing-based provision of education and activities on opportunities for all prisoners to engage in activities that are central to rehabilitation?
Recommendation 11
Will you commission a robust interrogation of the allocations process for activities to ensure that it serves prisoners and teaching staff better?
Recommendation 12
Will you undertake a comprehensive overhaul of the property store and systems at Pentonville to improve this function for the decency of prisoners (and to avoid wasting unnecessary staff time)?
Recommendation 13
What systems will you put in place to ensure both that the offender management unit’s performance never falls to the unacceptable levels of the past year ever again, and that prisoners will get prompt and accurate information, in particular about sentence calculation/release dates?
Recommendation 14
How will you improve physical access to the library for men who are on wings without direct access?
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 45 | 38 |
| Canteen | 12 | 10 |
| Care and separation unit | 7 | 3 |
| Discrimination | 1 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2 | 3 |
| Education | 11 | 6 |
| Employment/activity | 22 | 14 |
| Equality | 2 | 0 |
| Healthcare | 75 | 39 |
| Incentives and earned privileges | 0 | 1 |
| Legal | 16 | 10 |
| Letters/phone calls | 20 | 14 |
| OMU/release/parole | 30 | 15 |
| Other | 30 | 16 |
| Property | 95 | 43 |
| Staff behaviour | 12 | 5 |
| TOTAL | 401 | 230 |
| Violence/safety | 10 | 7 |
| Visits | 11 | 6 |
| Work opportunities | 0 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 1
· Respect 2
· Activity 1
· Release 1
Stephen Nuth · Self-inflicted
Moses Hailemichel · Self-inflicted
Peter Campbell · Other non-natural
Karim Simi · Self-inflicted
Mardan Halimi · Natural causes
Rickie Poon · State Custody related deaths
Peter Campbell · This report is being sent to: HM Prison & Probation Service | Phoenix Futures | Practice Plus Group
Mujahid Adam · Suicide (from 2015)
Gareth Chumber-Kelly · State Custody related deaths | Suicide (from 2015)
Amarjit Singh · State Custody related deaths
Other reports for Pentonville
Population 1,180
· Self-harm 435
· Concerns
Population 1,180
· Self-harm 565
· Concerns
Population 1,195
· Self-harm 610
· Concerns
Population 1,140
· Self-harm 487
· Concerns
Population 966
· Self-harm 556
· Concerns
Population 1,025
· Self-harm 682
· Concerns