Stocken

In last year’s annual report, we reported that there was a pressing need for increased capacity in category D (open) prisons. This situation still remains and there are a significant number of ‘cat D’ prisoners at Stocken.

There needs to be more active and prompt action in moving non-category C prisoners from Stocken. Prisoners who are recategorised from C to B should be moved within 72 hours but often are still in the segregation unit 42 days later. Those recategorised from C to D are also waiting too long to move to open conditions.

The ‘prisoner flow’ system is not working effectively at Stocken, resulting in a significant number of prisoners being released directly from Stocken without adequate resettlement support, as the prison is not funded for this purpose.

Grave concerns over the lack of access to programmes which can lead to a prisoner’s inability to reduce their risk of reoffending and their progression to a category D establishment.

Too many instances where category B prisoners at Stocken are not transferred within 72 hours and wait for over 42 days for transfer, with Governors of category B prisons having too much discretion in refusing to accept them.

In many of the cases about missing property there is a lack of cooperation from establishments when complaint forms are sent to them from Stocken. It appears that prisoners are ‘out of sight and out of mind’. In some establishments, there is little concern about volumetric control of the amount of property that a prisoner has, which can lead to his property not being able to be transferred on the van with him, which can then lead to loss. All too often, we are forced to recommend that the prisoner claims compensation via the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. Not only is this a bureaucratic and very slow process, but there are also many losses which cannot be fully compensated – personal memorabilia such as photographs and letters, for example, cannot always be replaced and no amount of money will make up for their loss.

Some of the long-term problems related to mental health result from a lack of places at secure mental health facilities. This means that a small number of prisoners with severe mental health difficulties and those who self-harm severely need constant watch and, in a recent case, several emergency trips to hospitals. Prison is simply an inappropriate environment for them, and they necessitate a substantial commitment of scarce resources to try to keep them safe.