Safety
Repeated
The Board continues to have concerns about the insufficient use of body-worn cameras. There have been technical difficulties and the Board recognises that prison managers are taking steps to train staff and address the negative views some staff have of the use of body-worn cameras.
Estate/Conditions
Rubbish accumulating in gullies around I wing, exacerbated by drone activity.
Mental Health
Repeated
The Board has continued concerns regarding seriously mentally ill prisoners being kept in the prison and especially in the care and separation unit (CSU). Healthcare staff acknowledge that this situation is not ideal and that those prisoners should be in appropriate mental hospitals.
Complaints/Property
Repeated
The system of managing the collection, storage, and issue of prisoner property and its transport during transfers is an ongoing issue, leading to missing property complaints and compensation claims.
Source wording under review
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Significant investment will be required to develop workshops in order for all prisoners to have access to purposeful activity as part of their rehabilitation. The prison has not been able to make significant progress in engaging all prisoners in purposeful activity.
Resettlement/Release
Towards the end of the calendar year, under the new arrangements, referrals were being completed but feedback received suggested that due to inefficiencies within the new contract, prison staff were dealing with issues related to resettlement of prisoners, often at the last minute as they were about to be released. It appears that despite the hard work of the Seetec staff on site, they are not able to deal efficiently and in a timely manner with applications. Through the gate (TTG) staff are spending most of their time chasing up outstanding accommodation issues. As a result, it appears that housing and resettlement planning is having ongoing difficulties with some staff not understanding their roles and what is required and when. Also, there appears to be a lack of housing, especially approved premises. It is important to note that the picture described showed signs of improving towards the end of the calendar year (December 2021 onwards) with more contractor staff receiving suitable training regarding completion of accommodation referrals resulting in an improvement in accommodation outcomes for prisoners. However, as of end December 2021, it was not up to the standard set by Shelter and TTG staff. The Board is informed that work continues in the area to monitor outcomes and put a service in place that meets the needs of men being released back into the community.