Sudbury

Response
I acknowledge the Board’s repeated concerns regarding probation reform impacting on release on temporary licence (ROTL). At midnight on 26 June 2021 we successfully ended Community Rehabilitation Company contracts and transitioned to a unified probation service, officially welcoming over 7000 probation professionals, directly into probation services or employed by one of the organisations we have appointed to deliver commissioned rehabilitative services to offenders. This big, very complex Government programme was delivered on time, to budget with minimal operational disruption, all whilst in a global pandemic. In the run up to transition, and in the period following, low-level operational issues were managed and mitigated, but there were no major incidents or disruptions to service throughout. Locally, the East Midlands probation region has continued to service ROTL at HMP/YOI Sudbury, progressing through recovery from the Covid-19 measures. Services continue to be monitored and are subject to review, but no significant or detrimental impact from the transition to the unified probation service has been experienced. At a national level, in the four months since launching the unified probation service, and following an initial period of stabilisation, the Probation Reform Programme is now supporting probation regions to implement the new Target Operating Model. This includes the pre-release element of resettlement where we are finalising the design for a short-sentence function; developing a new digital tool to assess risks and needs, enhancing the Offender Management in Custody model to give equal service to all in custody and consequently increasing Community Offender Manager activity so that people in prison will be ready to leave custody knowing they will be supported in the community. We are also piloting new packs of information for people as they plan for their resettlement and working with new Commissioned Rehabilitative Service providers to ensure accommodation support work is provided by people who know the home area that a person is returning to. We continue to work closely with probation regions to ensure that this work balances delivery of improved core functions while allowing a more flexible approach to some aspects of service delivery to enable responsivity to differing regional needs and circumstances.

Response
As the Board will be aware, Modular Temporary Units P5 and P6 have been demolished and the land cleared for future development. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is now at the business case stage to commission two new sixty bed accommodation units which includes the replacement for P block. An ancillary package has also been agreed that will include a new multi-faith centre and additional storage areas. Within the last twelve months boilers and water heaters that serve the accommodation areas have been replaced to ensure continuity of heating and hot water. The fuel tanks that serve the new boilers and water heaters will be replaced this financial year. The MoJ is also at the business case stage to commission fire safety improvements across all accommodation areas. Enhancements are being made to the temporary accommodation units which include a permanent power supply, covered walkways, and improvements to paths and roadways. In addition to the complete toilet refurbishment which has already been completed, a phased programme of work is in place to refurbish all showers, washrooms, replace windows within the accommodation and a decorating programme run by the Clean Rehabilitative, Enabling and Decent Programme is up and running again.

Response
Following a pause in the development of the new Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework due to Covid-19, a meeting with IMB representatives took place in August 2020. The feedback received from those members was considered alongside the comments received from other stakeholders, and comments from subsequent operational engagement. HMPPS has now circulated the draft framework with internal and external stakeholders, including the IMB Secretariat and the IMB representatives previously consulted, and the large number of comments received are being considered. As a result, the framework is expected to be published early next year. The framework will provide greater direction and standardisation on a national basis and has been designed with procedural justice at its core. It strengthens guidance on known problem areas such as volumetric control and seeks to ensure prisoners’ property is managed efficiently, effectively, consistently and with care and respect. Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) provide transportation for custodies and their property. The vehicle fleet is designed to carry the number of custodies it is intended for, together with their property in line with the volumetric limit which is governed by Prison Service Instruction 12/2011. In addition to this, the escort contractor will take a reasonable volume of legal documentation. As part of the planning for the new PECS contract, which commenced in August 2020, PECS engaged with MoJ Policy to review property limits on transportation and it was agreed that the new vehicle fleet would have increased capacity to facilitate an additional half bag of property for consumables to the limit of 7.5kg. The planned introduction of digitally recorded Person Escort Records including property tags will assist with investigations for property that is lost in transit with PECS suppliers. However, PECS receive few complaints for lost property overall and often the issue does not sit within the PECS transportation. In addition to this, HMPPS is considering what more can be done to encourage residents to send out or dispose of excess items to reduce the amount of their property that cannot transfer with them. Steps are also being taken to ensure a consistent approach when prisons forward on any excess items to residents at their new establishments after transfers have taken place. PECS continue to monitor all aspects of the contractors' performance and on occasions where it fails to meet the agreed levels will be raised with the contractor for improvement.