Recommendation 1
What initiatives – for example, training for prison staff – are planned to improve outcomes for prisoners with neurodivergent conditions, which, as we have observed and a recent review outlined, impacts their ability to engage?
Source · IMB Annual Report
Bristol
AI-generated report summary HMP Bristol successfully managed Covid-19, implementing strong infection control and a good vaccination programme. The prison saw significant improvements in accommodation and the general environment, alongside a reduction in self-harm and violence. However, the Board remains concerned about inconsistent key work delivery, staffing shortfalls, persistent issues with disability access, and the appropriate placement of vulnerable prisoners.
Year: 2021
Published: 10 Dec 2021
Type: Prison · Cat B, local, resettlement
Population: 500
Recommendations: 10
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 1 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 570 | 1,026 |
| ACCT cases opened | 781 | 1,041 |
| Prisoner assaults | 138 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 102 | — |
| Use of force | 416 | 544 |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryHMP Bristol successfully managed Covid-19, implementing strong infection control and a good vaccination programme. The prison environment saw significant improvements in accommodation, facilities, and general ambience. Both self-harm and violence incidents reduced, contributing to prisoners' increased feelings of safety. Healthcare provision was generally good, and new initiatives for resettlement and purposeful activity were positively received.
Key concerns
Support for neurodivergence in HMP Bristol is an area of concern for the Board.
The increasing number of older and disabled prisoners with medical, mobility and social care needs in the prison. Typically, around 30 prisoners are classified as needing personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs). While these needs are mostly being met, this can impact on staffing, due to hospital attendances and increasing numbers of bed watches.
Disability access has still not improved, including access to the healthcare building.
Key working has been adapted during the year, and has not been consistently delivered.
Property delay or loss during transfers from other establishments remains a problem locally and nationally.
As in the community, there are still delays for some services, such as dental treatment.
Time taken to transfer prisoners with severe mental ill-health to a secure hospital placement has improved slightly but varies significantly between different hospitals.
Can you facilitate access to appropriate room allocations, so that the mental health, substance misuse and other teams can deliver their full range of programmes effectively?
Despite staffing numbers being, on paper, above the benchmark of 154 staff, in reality staff are unavailable for weekly commissioned work requirements due to a number of factors, including, for example, training, allocation to specific tasks/projects, sickness, Covid-19 isolation and restricted duties.
The Board highlights the case of one particular prisoner with Asperger’s syndrome and severe anxiety who was remanded in custody for over 14 months pending trial. Given delays to the court process due to Covid-19, the prisoner was offered a plea bargain which, given time served to date, would allow his immediate release. Having taken this offer of the plea bargain to secure release, the prisoner’s detention was then extended on instruction of the Home Office pending an intention to deport, and so he has remained in custody at HMP Bristol with no clear path forward.
Poor supervision of medication queues has continued to be reported, and is, of course, a risk for diversion of desirable medication.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
How is the Ministry of Justice working with other agencies to consider alternatives to prison for elderly and vulnerable prisoners who could be better managed in non-custodial environments?
Recommendation 3
Why was Covid-19 vaccination not carried out as a pan-prison programme to protect vulnerable prisoners in crowded environments and also staff, many of whom should be considered equal to care staff in their role? Is this being reviewed for the future?
Recommendation 4
Can you provide further resources and guidance as to how key work should be delivered and how well it is achieving its strategic intentions?
Recommendation 5
The reduction in the operational capacity following the urgent notification in 2019 has facilitated the progress in safety and decency observed in our report. We hope that the numbers will not be increased too quickly or too high to enable this progress to be consolidated.
Recommendation 6
Please encourage HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and other visitors to the establishment to make contact with the Board. As independent volunteers carrying out a statutory role, we are a vital set of eyes and ears, and can provide valuable information and insights into the prison.
Recommendation 7
Property delay or loss during transfers from other establishments remains a problem locally and nationally. What is being done to improve this?
Recommendation 8
The Board has welcomed Governor attendance at our Board meetings, and useful communication between meetings including with the Deputy Governor. We hope that we will be invited to meet visitors to the prison and attend appropriate debriefings, which did not happen consistently during this year.
Recommendation 9
It would also be useful to share details of how various initiatives are aligned to key areas for improvement, so we can better monitor and report on developments.
Recommendation 10
Can you facilitate access to appropriate room allocations, so that the mental health, substance misuse and other teams can deliver their full range of programmes effectively?
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 45 | 38 |
| Chaplaincy/faith | 3 | 2 |
| Complaints procedure | 2 | 0 |
| Discipline | 9 | 1 |
| Equality and diversity (non-racial) | 5 | 2 |
| Finance | 4 | 3 |
| Food | 10 | 6 |
| Healthcare | 25 | 11 |
| Legal | 6 | 2 |
| Other | 34 | 28 |
| Property | 26 | 32 |
| Race relations | 5 | 1 |
| Security/searches | 9 | 12 |
| Staff | 12 | 18 |
| Total | 208 | 149 |
| Visits/communications | 7 | 2 |
| Work, education and vocational training | 11 | 1 |
Related inspections & investigations
Safety 1
· Respect 2
· Activity 1
· Release 2
Lee Jackson · Self-inflicted
Paul Coughlan · Self-inflicted
Georgie Smith · Self-inflicted
Gary Beaudro · Natural causes
Callum Smith · Community health care and emergency services related deaths; Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths; Suicide (from 2015)
Reggie John · State Custody related deaths
Other reports for Bristol
Population 561
· Self-harm 455
· Concerns
Population 579
· Self-harm 906
· Concerns
Population 550
· Concerns
Population 494
· Self-harm 459
· Concerns
Population 550
· Self-harm 1,026
· Concerns