Source · IMB Annual Report
Ashfield
Year: 2021
Published: 12 Nov 2021
Type: Prison · Cat C
Recommendations: 5
Key concerns
Positive findings
HMP Ashfield is judged to be a well-managed Category C prison for sex offenders, maintaining high standards and humane treatment despite significant COVID-19 challenges. The prison effectively managed the pandemic, achieving low infection rates and progressively easing restrictions to maximize purposeful activity. Key concerns include persistent difficulties in securing suitable accommodation for released prisoners, a severe reduction in offending behaviour programme places, and issues with mental health support and equality and diversity monitoring.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths in custody | 1 | — |
| Self-harm incidents | 67 | 66 |
| ACCT cases opened | 82 | 100 |
| Prisoner assaults | 13 | 4 |
| Assaults on staff | 3 | 0 |
| Use of force | 15 | 9 |
| Drug finds | 8 | — |
Positive findings
HMP Ashfield is judged to be a well-managed prison with high standards, treating prisoners fairly and humanely in a safe environment. The management of COVID-19 outbreaks was highly effective, with very low infection rates and successful transitions to less restrictive regimes to maximise time out of cell and exercise. ACCT processes are well-embedded, and property management is well-run. The OMiC model has shown benefits with stable staffing and improved OASys record keeping. The chaplaincy team provided excellent pastoral care during restrictions, and in-cell TV and library delivery services were greatly appreciated by prisoners.
Key concerns
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
The difficulties securing appropriate accommodation in a timely fashion for prisoners released from Ashfield continue to be a major concern exacerbated by the Covid-19 restrictions.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
COVID-19 restrictions have severely reduced the number of offending behaviour programme (OBP) places available. For a large percentage of the population at Ashfield, OBPs feature on their sentence plan and the reduced availability of places is causing anxiety and concerns that, where relevant, the chances of parole have decreased if OBPs have not been completed.
Resettlement/Release
The Board notes that the number of category D places in the only open prison in the south west, HMP Leyhill, is set to reduce in coming years; it also notes that the only other open prisons accepting prisoners convicted of sexual offences are located in Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Cumbria.
Equality/Diversity
The prison does not routinely collect ethnicity data with regard to behaviour warnings, which limits investigation into perceived disproportionate warnings for BAME prisoners.
Equality/Diversity
The scheduling of diversity and equality action team (DEAT) meetings four to five weeks after the quarter to be reviewed is, in the Board’s view, not conducive to timely action to address emerging issues and the brevity of the minutes is not helpful to record the work being undertaken in this area.
Mental Health
The Board does have some concerns about the support to prisoners with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Aspergers, autism and those with other learning difficulties. Primarily this is due to the lack of access to neurodiverse specialists.
Food/Catering
The Board has seen a significant change in prisoners' views of the catering and from the information available it would appear to be linked mostly to the change of supplier in November 2020. The comments ranged from complaints about portion sizes to the quality of food/cooking.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Can the Minister confirm how many of the 200 approved premises new placements can be used for prisoners convicted of sexual offences and the timescale for delivery of these placements?
Repeated
Response
HMPPS is focused on restoring Offender Behaviour Programme (OBP) delivery to pre-pandemic levels and is committed to maximising resources to meet priority demand for OBPs. The capacity to deliver OBPs is kept under regular review with new data gathering systems established and regular site updates to inform recovery and future strategic delivery planning. Although there are no immediate plans to increase the number of OBPs delivered at HMP Ashfield, a system has been established to aid the transfer of prisoners to relevant sites where capacity is available. Delivery remains under constant review and opportunities to increase capacity are being explored. During the pandemic, additional programme management resource has been provided to support delivery sites to explore opportunities to maximise delivery and to better meet the priority needs of the population. |
Ministry of Justice | In progress |
| 1 | In the light of the backlog of prisoners awaiting places on OBPs, are there any plans for HMPPS to increase further, beyond current strategies, the number of OBP places to address the problem? | HMPPS | |
| 1 | Can consideration be given to identifying ethnicity when reviewing incentive warnings? | Governor / Director | |
| 2 |
Does HMPPS have plans to create further category D places for prisoners convicted of sex offences in the south of the country or the Midlands?
Response
HMPPS plans on delivering 660 additional places through the expansion of the Category D estate, 600 of which are at prisons in the South and Midlands. The expansions will be delivered through adding one or two 60-bed units at each site, based on those establishments with the highest demand. The size of each expansion was determined using site surveys and what was feasible operationally and based on land available. The expansions will not change the profile of offenders accommodated by these prisons and there will be no change to which sites currently accommodate men convicted of sexual offences. The six Category D prison sites selected for expansion/new units are as follows: • HMP/YOI Standford Hill – 120 places (South) • HMP Springhill – 120 places (South) • HMP Leyhill – 120 places (South) • HMP Ford – 120 places (South) • HMP & YOI Sudbury – 120 places (Midlands) • HMP/YOI Hatfield - 60 places (Yorkshire) |
HMPPS | In progress |
| 2 | Can action be taken to improve the DEAT meetings? | Governor / Director |
Applications to the IMB
| Category | Current | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 19 | 22 |
| Adjudications | 2 | 10 |
| Family contact | 10 | 12 |
| Finance | 0 | 0 |
| Food | 3 | 2 |
| Health and wellbeing | 2 | 3 |
| Incentives | 0 | 0 |
| Legal | 1 | 3 |
| Other | 1 | 1 |
| Prison procedures and policy | 11 | 13 |
| Property (including transfers) | 31 | 39 |
| Rule 45 and cellular confinement | 2 | 9 |
| Staff (including discrimination) | 19 | 28 |
| Work, education, activity | 4 | 2 |
Related inspections & investigations
9 Oct 2023
HMIP · Unannounced
Safety 4
· Respect 4
· Activity 1
· Release 4
Other reports for Ashfield
Report details
- Establishment
- Ashfield
- Type
- Prison · Cat C
- Report year
- 2021
- Published
- 12 November 2021
- Responsible body
- HMP Ashfield
- Recommendations
- 5
- MoJ rating (2024/25)
- 3 — Good
Population
| Operational capacity | 400 |
| CNA (designed for) | 416 |
Service providers
Healthcare
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP)
Social care
Agincare
Through the Gate
Catch 22
Voluntary (Advice)
Citizens Advice
Voluntary (Arts/Music)
Changing Tunes
Voluntary (Education)
Peace Education Programme (from the Prem Rawat Foundation)
Voluntary (Literacy)
Shannon Trust