Recommendation 1
Will the Minister do everything in her power to ensure sufficient funding for capital investment in HMP Lewes’ buildings such that the basic accommodation can finally be considered uniformly decent?
Source · IMB Annual Report
Lewes
AI-generated report summary Throughout the reporting year, HMP Lewes operated under significant Covid-19 restrictions, severely limiting the regime and leading to an overwhelmingly poor experience for prisoners. The Board identified an inhumane regime with prisoners often locked in cells for nearly 23 hours a day, alongside a concerning deterioration in healthcare provision due to staffing shortages and overreliance on agency staff. Key issues included an inadequate induction process, persistent decency issues in accommodation, and disproportionate treatment of ethnic minority prisoners in various disciplinary and incentives schemes.
Year: 2022
Published: 7 Jul 2022
Type: Prison · Cat B, C, D, local, YOI
Population: 568
Recommendations: 6
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 7 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 347 | 378 |
| ACCT cases opened | 596 | 516 |
| Prisoner assaults | 144 | 129 |
| Drug finds | 283 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe Board welcomes the enhanced gate security introduced in December 2021, which must have improved safety for prisoners by reducing illicit substances. Refurbishments to many cells made them cleaner and more pleasant. The increase in prisoner forums held this year is seen as a positive step in prison management, fostering understanding of prisoners' needs. The safety team demonstrated particular care for individual prisoners, and the senior management's efforts to provide a predictable regime and open the gym regularly are acknowledged. The chaplaincy department's consistent positive contribution to prisoner wellbeing and the appointment of an occupational therapist were also welcomed. A new Migration Law Clinic is expected to positively assist foreign national prisoners.
Key concerns
The Board does not consider that the induction process at HMP Lewes is adequate and believes that a more structured process would allow prisoners to start their sentences with a better understanding of prison life and accordingly be less vulnerable to others.
In the Board’s view, the regime in this reporting year has not been humane. Prisoners have been locked up for very long periods of time and daily time in the open air has often not been permitted.
The Board is again concerned that prisoners from ethnic minorities (excluding White minorities) may not be being treated fairly in some areas, specifically in use of force and the incentives and earned privileges scheme, where they are disproportionately represented.
The main residential areas are often not decent, with constant problems which seemingly take a long time to fix such as broken showers and windows, no toilet lids and pigeons flying around living areas.
There has been a deterioration in the delivery of physical and mental health services during this year, mainly because of inadequate staffing and an overdependence on agency staff.
The number of education and work places available to prisoners is less than 50% of the prison population, meaning opportunities to gain skills are limited, and there was no face-to-face education for parts of the year.
There has routinely been a backlog in prisoners getting their sentence plans, without which they cannot progress. In addition, organising transfers to prisons which are better able to help prisoners progress through their sentences has often been difficult.
Insufficient funding for capital investment in HMP Lewes’ buildings such that the basic accommodation can finally be considered uniformly decent.
Prisoners who have been detained very many years beyond their tariff dates under indeterminate sentences for public protection are not being released as soon as possible, which the Board considers inhumane.
The importance for prisoner wellbeing of them being unlocked for unstructured association is not recognised, particularly given insufficient work and education places.
Insufficient funding of inter-prison transfer services means prisoners get delayed moving to prisons where their rehabilitation needs can be better met.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
Once again the Board asks that the Minister does everything she can to ensure that prisoners who have been detained very many years beyond their tariff dates under indeterminate sentences for public protection are released as soon as is possible.
Recommendation 3
Will the Prison Service recognise the importance for prisoner wellbeing of them being unlocked for unstructured association, particularly when in a prison such as HMP Lewes there are insufficient work and education places for all prisoners?
Recommendation 4
Will the Prison Service ensure sufficient funding of inter-prison transfer services so that prisoners do not get delayed moving to prisons where their rehabilitation needs can be better met?
Recommendation 5
The Board asks the Governor to do everything in her power to improve the amount of time prisoners are allowed out of their cells as quickly as possible.
Recommendation 6
To ensure that as Covid restrictions are eased, remand and sentence-expired foreign national prisoners are treated appropriately and differently from the main sentenced population.
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 22 | 29 |
| Communications with family and friends | 10 | 8 |
| Correspondence | 5 | 6 |
| Discrimination | 2 | 0 |
| Education and training | 6 | 2 |
| Equality | 0 | 0 |
| Fair treatment | 21 | 32 |
| Food and canteen | 3 | 3 |
| Healthcare | 146 | 86 |
| Incentives and privileges | 2 | 2 |
| Legal matters | 13 | 12 |
| Other | 11 | 13 |
| Personal property | 22 | 29 |
| Regime | 10 | 3 |
| Religious observance | 0 | 0 |
| Staff conduct | 6 | 13 |
| Transfers | 1 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 2
· Respect 3
· Activity 2
· Release 3
Safety 2
· Respect 2
· Activity 1
· Release 2
Michael Campbell · Other non-natural
Jamie Funnell · Other non-natural
Ryan Trimmer · State Custody related deaths
Other reports for Lewes
Population 603
· Self-harm 432
· Concerns
Population 581
· Self-harm 651
· Concerns
Population 602
· Self-harm 620
· Concerns
Population 554
· Self-harm 490
· Concerns
Population 548
· Concerns
Population 551
· Self-harm 369
· Concerns