Source · IMB Annual Report
Askham Grange
Year: 2021
Published: 28 Mar 2022
Type: Prison · Cat Open Women's YOI
Recommendations: 3
Key concerns
Positive findings
Askham Grange is a safe, open women's prison with a strong resettlement ethos, treating prisoners fairly and humanely, and providing good healthcare. Key concerns include the delayed decision on the prison's future, the potential removal of popular single-occupancy pods, and the ongoing transfer of women with short sentences, which hinders resettlement efforts.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 1 | 0 |
| Self-harm incidents | 26 | — |
| ACCT cases opened | 26 | 23 |
| Use of force | 1 | — |
Positive findings
The Board considers Askham Grange a safe establishment, marked by good staff-prisoner relationships and well-maintained facilities. Prisoners are treated fairly and humanely, with staff demonstrating sensitivity during the pandemic. Healthcare provision is assessed as being as good as in the community, with a full complement of staff, high vaccination rates for Covid-19, and a new healthcare patients forum. The prison has a good record of preparing prisoners for resettlement, with education maintaining high standards through remote delivery and various initiatives to support lower-level learners and neurodiverse residents.
Key concerns
Other
A decision concerning the future of HMP/YOI Askham Grange is long overdue and should be a priority in order that Askham Grange can formulate plans for its future appropriately.
Estate/Conditions
The contract for keeping the pods runs out in February 2022 and they are, we are told, to be removed from the prison. The pandemic has not gone away and the women are rightly concerned about moving back into shared accommodation. Whilst accepting that there is a budgetary concern in prolonging the contract, would it not be circumspect to do so in the circumstances?
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Despite this being raised in previous reports, there are still prisoners with very little time left to serve being transferred in to Askham Grange. This has an impact on the level of work that can be undertaken with them prior to release and is not to their benefit.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A decision concerning the future of HMP/YOI Askham Grange is long overdue and should be a priority in order that Askham Grange can formulate plans for its future appropriately.
Response
I appreciate the Board’s ongoing concerns about the future of HMP/YOI Askham Grange. As stated in my predecessor’s letter from January 2020, there is no intention to close the prison for the foreseeable future. Whilst the Closure Notice has not been formally rescinded, it has not prevented HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) from planning for the future. This has resulted in significant investment in the establishment’s infrastructure and environment over the past two years. There are further plans for investment in the establishment, including a survey to commission an additional forty temporary modular accommodation places and consequently increase the operational capacity in the medium term. |
Other | Accepted |
| 2 |
The arrival of pods at the beginning of the pandemic meant that no one had to share rooms and that women were kept as safe as possible. The contract for keeping the pods runs out in February 2022 and they are, we are told, to be removed from the prison. The pandemic has not gone away and the women are rightly concerned about moving back into shared accommodation. Whilst accepting that there is a budgetary concern in prolonging the contract, would it not be circumspect to do so in the circumstances?
Response
As part of the Covid-19 response, HMP/YOI Askham Grange was one of three prisons that hired Bunkabin units. On 9 November 2021, the HMPPS Recovery Board approved the removal of hired units when they are no longer required for the management of Covid-19. Through engagement with the Prison Group Director for the Womens Estate, Bunkabins have been deemed unsuitable for continued use in the female estate and will be relied on for temporary accommodation only. HMPPS is committed to removing the units only when it is safe to do so, and the prison can effectively manage Covid-19 within its existing permanent accommodation. These decisions will be aligned with the National Framework for Covid Recovery and latest guidance from the Public Health England. The temporary accommodation project is proposing to decommission the Bunkabin units at the end of May 2022. Planning has commenced with full consultation with the women affected, and those required to share have been given the option to provide their cellmate preference(s). |
HMPPS | Rejected |
| 3 |
Despite this being raised in previous reports, there are still prisoners with very little time left to serve being transferred in to Askham Grange. This has an impact on the level of work that can be undertaken with them prior to release and is not to their benefit. Would the Prison Service ensure that only those with sufficient time left to serve are transferred to open conditions in order that resettlement plans can be fully implemented?
Repeated
Response
There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring prisoners and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison. Within the context of these often competing operational and logistical demands, the Population Management Unit seeks to ensure that prisoners who have been accepted for transfer are moved as soon as is practical. A new short sentence function (SSF) is being introduced in all Probation Regions from June 2022 to provide a responsive bespoke service for those serving short prison sentences (10 months or under to serve at the point of sentence). The SSF will provide a dedicated pre-release team at some prisons, but this has not been confirmed for HMP/YOI Askham Grange as yet. Although the rollout of the SSF begins later this year, a full service is not expected until 2023. |
HMPPS | In progress |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 0 | 0 |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 2 | 0 |
| Equality | 1 | 0 |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 0 | 0 |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 2 | 1 |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 0 | 0 |
| Miscellaneous, including complaints system | 2 | 3 |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 0 | 0 |
| Property within this establishment | 1 | 0 |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 2 | 1 |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 1 | 0 |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 1 | 1 |
| Transfers | 0 | 0 |
Related inspections & investigations
19 Jun 2023
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 4
· Respect 4
· Activity 4
· Release 4
Other reports for Askham Grange
Report details
- Establishment
- Askham Grange
- Type
- Prison · Cat Open Women's YOI
- Report year
- 2021
- Published
- 28 March 2022
- Responsible body
- HMP Askham Grange
- Recommendations
- 3
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 4 — Outstanding
Population
| Operational capacity | 128 |
| CNA (designed for) | 128 |
Service providers
Family Support
Pact
Healthcare
Practice Plus Group
Nursery
Barnardo's